Design Diplomacy

Corine Keus (1970) is an architect and founder of CKA, a studio for architectural design and spatial research.

Her work spans a wide range of scales, from small-scale urban infill projects and building transformations to spatial strategies and urban planning studies. CKA’s approach is analytical and no-nonsense—realistic, yet guided by a strong sense of idealism. The studio strives to create beautiful, sustainable, and future-oriented projects. With solid spatial and technical expertise, CKA develops inventive solutions for complex challenges. Sustainability, circularity, and the use of biobased materials are central to the design process. Unconventional choices often lead to dynamic, flexible designs that are resilient to future change.

Sasu Haanpää is a creative brand strategist working at creative agency Aivan. What sets Haanpää apart is his ability to think big while ensuring meticulous execution, transforming bold visions into tangible reality without compromising quality or impact. Sasu is an uncompromising team player. He has experience building an award-winning brand design business unit, demonstrating his collaborative approach.

Mari Lea Louekari Randsborg is half Danish / half Finnish designer and architect.

Mari is the the CEO of Cobe — one of the most recognized architectural companies in Denmark. Cobe was founded in 2006 by Dan Stubbergaard and is known for visionary and sustainable projects within urban planning, landscape and architecture — including transformation in particular. Cobe has been a significant part of Copenhagen’s architectural transformation over the past 15 years, not least with Cobe’s planning of the new Nordhavn city district. Cobe’s architecture has a social basis that creates green, inclusive and vibrant cities for all. 

Mari has a background in Design; For more than 20 years, Mari has run creative businesses.  Before Cobe, Mari was, among others, CEO and co-owner of e-Types — one of the leading design – & brand agencies in Scandinavia. 

Mari is currently Vice Chairman of the Danish Industries Federation of Danish Professional Service Firms, Board Member of the interior brand VIPP A/S and Board Member of art museum front runner Copenhagen Contemporary. 

Mari is an educated Architect at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture.

Tino Nyman is a Helsinki-based designer working across creative direction and graphic design, with a strong passion for branding and culture. After working at two of Finland’s leading creative agencies, he now operates independently, moving between commercial and cultural projects. His focus lies in printed publications, visual storytelling, branding, and visual identities.

Nieves Contreras graduated in Industrial Design as well as a Master’s in Design Management from UPV in Valencia. She has developed a significant part of her professional career in Paris, France, collaborating with product design studios, creating designs and artistic direction for various sectors, from furniture and home appliances to luxury brands and connected objects, at studios such as Marc Berthier, Pascal Mourgue, and particularly eliumstudio, where she worked for 10 years. Simultaneously, she has been active as an independent designer, deeply involved in craftsmanship and its contemporary renewal, creating furniture for Expormim, and as the co-founder and creative director of the handmade ceramic brand sagenceramics (Manises).

Since 2019, she is the Creative Director of Lladró, a Spanish porcelain company recognized internationally, heading the Creation and Development Department, consisting of a team of 20 people.

Heini Riitahuhta (b. 1975) is a Finnish ceramic artist and designer known for her vibrant, floral style. Her work has been part of Arabia’s (Fiskars) collections since 1998, including the popular Runo and Huvila series.

Heini discovered ceramics as a teenager in California and later studied at the Wetterhof School of Arts and Design and the University of Art and Design Helsinki (now Aalto University, School of Arts, Design and Architecture), graduating in 2002. During her studies, she interned at the Arabia factory, where she deepened her knowledge of ceramic materials.

Today, she works at and chairs the Arabia Art Department Society. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including at Hostler & Burrows (New York) and Design Miami, and is featured in public spaces such as Nagoya Children’s Hospital (Black Mamba, 2008) and Arabianranta in Helsinki (Arabian Flower, 2011).

Picture: Chikako Harada

Yemi Awosile lives and works in London. Her studio practice is informed by cultural insights expressed primarily through textiles. The broader scope of her work combines a multi-disciplinary design practice with visual arts projects and social interventions open to the public. Recent projects include collaborations with Triennale Art and Industry – Dunkerque, Rubis mécénat, Frac Grand Large – Hauts de France, LAAC – Musée de France, and L’école supérieure d’art – Dunkerque. She has collaborated with organisations such as Tent Rotterdam, Tate Gallery, Contemporary And (C&) magazine and the British Council. Her work can be viewed in the Victoria & Albert Museum handling collection; and she recently installed two permanent public artworks in South West London commissioned by Thames Tideway.

Linda Linko (born 1979) has built a long and versatile career in the visual arts both nationally and internationally for over 20 years. Her artwork has been featured in numerous solo exhibitions as well as group exhibitions in Finland and abroad, most recently a solo exhibition Slippery Grip at Gallery Loisti in Helsinki in autumn 2025, and the group exhibition Symbiosis at The Salon in Paris in autumn 2024.

Linko is an award-winning and well-known artist working in illustration, poster design, typography, graphic design, pattern design, and fine art. As a poster designer, she received the grand prize at the European Design Awards in 2014.

Sam De Vocht is an architect, teacher and curator. He was trained at the Ghent Saint Lucas School of Architecture, the University of Michigan, the Universidad Politécnica de Catalunya and since 2006, by award-winning Belgian architect Marie-José Van Hee. With her, he co-curated exhibitions at the Venice Biennale (2018), De Singel Arts Centre, Antwerp (2022) and the Finnish Architecture and Design Museum, Helsinki (2025). Sam is a guest professor of architecture at Antwerp University and a staff member of the Interiors Buildings Cities group at TU Delft. In 2022, with Juan Duque, he co-founded The Green Corridor Brussels, a space dedicated to active engagement in visual arts, performance, architecture, and creative practices. 

Pentti Kareoja (b. 1959) is a Finnish architect based in Helsinki. Since 2002, he has served as Professor at the Aalto University, School of Arts, Design and Architecture, and since 1995 he has been Partner-in-Charge at ARK-house Architects.

Kareoja has worked in architecture since 1979, both independently and in collaboration with other offices in Finland and abroad, including a period with Kevin Roche in the United States. His work has been recognized with numerous awards, such as the State Award of Architecture (2002), and as a finalist for the Mies van der Rohe Award for European Architecture with the Helsinki University Library Korona.

His projects and writings have been widely published in European architectural books and journals. Between 1992 and 1995, he was Editor-in-Chief of Arkkitehti, Finland’s leading architectural magazine. He has also held key roles in the field, including serving as Chairman of the Alvar Aalto Symposium and as a member of several international juries, such as the Alvar Aalto Medal Committee.

Kareoja’s most recent major project is the Meander Housing Project in Helsinki, a collaboration between ARK-house and Steven Holl Architects.

Painter and decorator Pierre-Yves Morel specializes in imitation wood and marble. After studying painting at the Strasbourg School of Decorative Arts, he trained in decorative painting at the Van der Kelen- Logelain Higher Institute of Painting in Brussels. He works mainly in private residences. Parallel with this he creates objects with a contemporary look by using – or even diverting – traditional technologies.

Jaana Reinikainen is a Finnish-born designer known for her long career in the textile and furniture industries. After preparatory studies in Finland and Sweden, she graduated in 1989 from the École Supérieure des Arts de la Mode (ESMOD) in Paris and from the Accademia Italiana in Florence. Over the course of her more than 35-year career, she has collaborated as a designer and consultant with numerous industrial companies around the world. In France, she is recognized for her creative collaborations with, among others, the national furniture collection Mobilier National, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the institution Communes Forestières des Midi-Pyrénées.

Jaana Reinikainen’s works have been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions. Her works can also be found in private collections as well as in the collections of design museums. She has also worked as a lecturer and design educator in Asia and Europe, including at Aalto University in Helsinki.

Alongside her creative work, she served as Deputy Head of International Relations for the City of Montpellier from 2014 to 2020, developing cultural projects with partner cities. During her years in Montpellier, she also served as Honorary Consul of Finland in the Languedoc-Roussillon region.

Cathal is Chief Creative Officer with PA Consulting Dublin, formally Design Partners, one of Europe’s leading product design and innovation agencies. He studied Industrial Design at SETU Carlow and the National College of Art & Design, Dublin. He has played a foundational role in developing Design Partners’ unique approach to industrial design consultancy, merging story-led design with refined craft skills and advanced design capabilities.

Specialising in industrial design for consumer electronics, wearable technology, home products, healthcare and professional tool sectors. His consulting work with a broad spectrum of brands such as Logitech, HP, Dell, Nokia, Huawei, Jameson etc. has resulted in category defining and highly commercial product design with global reach.  

His work has been recognised internationally by the IDSA, Red Dot, IF, French Design Institute and Good Design and is included in the Henry Ford Museum permanent collection of design artefacts. An expert on the intersection between technology and human experience, with unique expertise for designing products with refined ergonomics, sensory engagement and high levels of user interaction, he specialises in translating emerging technology into immersive user experiences.

He has a passion for story-led design and the study of human behaviour and strives through design to create meaningful and valuable experiences that build brands and resonate with their customers. 

Since 2009 he has built and led the creative team at Design Partners by setting the standard for design quality and guiding others to strive for excellence in a highly collaborative environment.

Terhi Pölkki is a shoe designer whose eponymous women’s footwear brand was founded in 2011.

The company has quickly developed a strong, clear, distinctive, and innovative concept for women’s shoes. Terhi Pölkki produces the collection’s footwear in Portugal, with a focus on ecological materials and responsible manufacturing. Terhi Pölkki’s store is located in Kruununhaka, Helsinki.

Lilja Birgisdóttir (b. 1983) Lilja Birgisdóttir is an Icelandic artist based in Reykjavík who works across photography, performance, video, sound, and installation. She studied photography at the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague (2007) and later earned a BA in Fine Art from the Iceland Academy of the Arts (2010). Since then, she has been closely involved with the artist-run gallery Kling & Bang in Reykjavík and co-founded Endemi, an art magazine focused on contemporary Icelandic art. 

Lilja’s work explores transformation, the handmade, and sustainability, often combining photography with materials like oil paint, resin, plants, and found objects. She is a member of the international art collective Fischersund. Established in 2017, Fischersund is a family-run art collective and perfumery based in Reykjavik, Iceland. Founded by four siblings, Inga, Jónsi, Sigurrós, and Lilja, Fischersund serves as a creative platform using scent, visual arts and music. Fischersund makes immersive experiences that include unique perfumes, scented concerts and visual arts to facilitate their storytelling. 

Recent exhibitions include Faux Flora at the National Nordic Museum, Seattle (2024-25), It’s Not You It’s Me at Þula (2022), and Gróður at Berg Contemporary (2020). In 2024, she collaborated with Ingibjörg Birgisdóttir on Hlutskipti / Fated at Þula. In 2015, she held solo shows at Rawson Projects (New York) and Jacqueline Falcone B&B (Miami), and participated in the NADA Art Fair in New York. In 2025, she exhibited at Market Art Fair in Stockholm with Þula. 

Notable earlier projects include The Vessel Orchestra, the opening act of the Reykjavík Art Festival in 2013, created in collaboration with 15 ship captains in Reykjavík Harbour. Lilja has also produced photographic work for artists such as Damien Rice and Sigur Rós. Lilja lives and works in Reykjavík, Iceland.

Matilda is the founder of Mannström and Atelier Mannström in Helsinki — a brand that merges artistic practice with sustainable design. She works across boundaries in the space between jewelry, installation, and performance, with international experience from projects in cities such as Paris, Cape Town, Tbilisi, and Helsinki.

All jewelry is crafted from recycled 18ct gold or 925 silver, with full options for reworking and lifelong maintenance. Her work reflects a vision of circular thinking and authentic Finnish craftsmanship.