Kaarlo Niskanen President, KCL, Finland

Since February 2007, I have been the president of KCL. I have truly enjoyed the challenge of changing a traditional research institute into a knowledge-based expert enterprise. This includes new business orientation, focus on profitability in operations, and above all changing the way people think of their job. I am extremely proud of our track record, 70% growth over the last 3 years in solutions sales.

My previous task was the transformation of KCL’s research program in the role of VP Science and Consulting. We implemented new research governance that responds to customer expectations, changed the focus of research so that the portion of radical innovation projects increased from a few percent in 2003 to 30% in 2006, and started systematic competence development.

Since joining KCL 1986, I gradually became the responsible leader of a paper physics research group at KCL, TKK and Tampere University of Technology. In its field, it was arguably the best in the world. I was the first to use computer simulations in paper structure development (KCL PAKKA) and invented several new testing devices (e.g. KCL AHMA). These 15 years of intensive research generated 120 scientific publications, two patents, a textbook, and a dozen PhDs and MScs for the industry.

Prior to this, I did undergraduate physics studies at TKK’s famous Low Temperature Laboratory (1981) and my PhD at Carnegie Mellon, USA (1984). Currently I am an enthusiastic eMBA student at TKK Executive School of Business.