Jury of the Baltic Sea Project 2024
The 2024 judging panel
Anne-Maria Salonius
Director of Ålandsbanken in Finland, Chairman of the Responsibility Committee of Finanssiala ry
Anne-Maria is behind the entire idea of the Baltic Sea Project and has served as the chairperson of the jury since the first funding round of the Baltic Sea Project, starting from 2015. The sea is very close to her heart and Anne-Maria hopes to be able to work for its well-being, so that the beauty and rich species of the Baltic Sea are preserved for future generations.
The 2024 judging panel
Markku Ollikainen
Emeritus professor and research director. Chairman of the Finnish Climate Panel 2014–2023.
Markku Ollikainen is of the opinion that we can all influence a more sustainable future by, for example, recycling and avoiding so-called luxuries. Ollikainen, who himself was also an applicant for funding from the Baltic Sea Project, thinks it is particularly great that the Baltic Sea Project finances projects from far and wide.
The 2024 judging panel
Mikko Koskinen
Serial entrepreneur, founders of Kyrö Distillery and Nemo Seafarms, a startup company focused on innovative aquaculture, and chairman of the board. Lives in Iceland.
Serial entrepreneur Mikko Koskinen believes that regional solutions that promote the well-being of the Baltic Sea can be replicated and that the funded projects will bring well-being far beyond the Baltic Sea itself. Appreciating deep benevolence, Koskinen is also environmentally conscious in his own everyday life: for example, he embroiders his clothes himself using the Japanese sashiko technique.
The 2024 judging panel
Mari Pantsar
Ph.D. and docent and partner at Kari & Pantsar Co
Mari, who has followed the Baltic Sea Project for a long time, especially expects good discussions from working as a judge, through which she can also learn a lot of new things herself. She hopes that people in general have the courage to slow down and stop to think about where genuine well-being and happiness in life come from. With this thought work, everyone could better find their own sustainable way of living.
The 2024 judging panel
Alf Norkko
Alf Norkko is a marine ecologist who studies the diversity of marine ecosystems and the effects of human-caused loads such as eutrophication, hypoxia and climate change on ecosystem functioning. He is a professor of Baltic Sea Studies and the scientific director of the Tvärminne Zoological Station at the University of Helsinki and a Visiting Professor at the Baltic Sea Center at the University of Stockholm. He promotes the understanding of the interaction of biodiversity and climate change in coastal ecosystems. He is passionate about increasing the understanding of basic science as a basis for decision-making.
