Tommi Juusela becomes the new chair of the board of the John Nurminen Foundation
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The founder and long-term chair of the Foundation, Juha Nurminen, is passing on the leadership of the board. The new Chair Tommi Juusela has been part of the Foundation’s Board since 2021. He will continue the valuable work for the Baltic Sea and its heritage.
During recent years the Foundation has taken significant action to reduce emissions into the Baltic Sea. Persistent efforts have yielded results: through international cooperation the phosphorus levels in the Gulf of Finland have decreased by approximately 75 percent since the turn of the millennium. The Foundation now mainly focuses on reducing scattered loading from the Baltic Sea catchment area of 90 million people. The Foundation has also published over fifty books and organized dozens of exhibitions on maps, marine art, and other maritime cultural themes.
From a corporate strategist to a marine conservationist
The new chair, Tommi Juusela, has over 20 years’ experience from senior leadership roles in general management, strategy, and technology policy at companies like Neste and Nokia and prior to that from mergers and acquisitions in New York and London.
“The Foundation has been engaged in measurable, long-term efforts to save the Baltic Sea. I want to continue this work and hope to link the Foundation to international discussions about the importance of the connection between the ocean and climate change. I bring with me extensive global networks, which I hope will benefit the Foundation’s work”, says Juusela.
Besides his corporate work, Tommi is also an Arctic explorer, with over dozen expeditions conducted to East and West Greenland, Svalbard, northern Canada, and Lapland.
“Kayaking in Greenland or circumnavigating Svalbard on an old research vessel has taught me how deeply connected to nature we all are. One can feel small among the icebergs, and yet our actions have a big impact on climate and what happens to glaciers. I want to play my part in bringing awareness of climate change and its impacts on the ocean to a wider audience.”
The foundation’s work to save the Baltic Sea continues
The John Nurminen Foundation works in local and international cooperation to save the Baltic Sea and its heritage. The foundation’s environmental projects aim to reduce nutrient loads from the land to the sea, to prevent harmful substances from entering the sea, and to restore marine nature.
The foundation’s work has been deeply effective, but the Baltic Sea still needs concrete actions to survive the ongoing challenges, such as climate change.
“We warmly welcome the new chair and embrace the ideas and networks he brings along. The Baltic Sea needs strong expertise and effective action, as its state is still alarmingly poor,” says Annamari Arrakoski-Engardt, the CEO of the Foundation.