THE TEAM
The policy, objectives and goals of the Chamber are defined, directed and implemented by minimum 7 and maximum 15 elected members of the Board of Directors.
It is headed by the President and Vice President(s) and other Directors as well as supported by staff members.
THE BOARD
Mr. Vesa Vauhkala
President
Vesa Vauhkala is the Chairman of the Thai-Finnish Chamber of Commerce. He is also actively involved in the activities of JFCCT.
Vesa has 30 years of experience in Thailand. He first came to Thailand in 1995 to manage Valmet Technologies’ machine installations at Advance Agro’s paper mill in Kabin Buri.
Currently, Vesa is the Managing Director of Salo Tech (Thailand) Limited’s solar panel factory in Rayong. Salo Tech Thailand is a joint venture between Salo Solar Investment, a Finnish solar panel pioneer, Finnfund, the Finnish state development finance company, and PEA Encom. The company started manufacturing solar panels in Rayong in early 2024 to support sustainable development in Thailand, with solar panels made in Thailand.
E-mail: [email protected]
Mr. Timo Perkkiö
Vice President
Mr. Timo Perkkiö is the Managing Director at Sumitomo SHI FW Service (Thailand) Ltd. He was recently welcomed as the new Vice President to the Thai-Finnish Chamber of Commerce (TFCC) Board, highlighting his engagement in the Thai business community.
Sumitomo SHI FW Service (Thailand) Ltd. is the local service arm of the global Sumitomo SHI FW (SFW) group, a leading provider of clean energy solutions and a major boiler manufacturer. The company’s core mission is to support Asian power plants by maximizing their productivity, availability, and efficiency.
The Thai branch offers comprehensive services, including custom maintenance programs, design and material optimization, detailed inspections, and the supply of a full range of replacement parts for both SFW and other manufacturers’ equipment.
E-mail: [email protected]
Mr. Helmut Beste
Director
Mr. Helmut Beste is the Advisor to President at Thaivivat Insurance in Thailand.
Company: Thaivivat Insurance
E-mail: [email protected]
Mr. Wichien Harnpraween
Director
Wichien Harnpraween, a founder and currently Managing Partner of the law firm called Wissen & Co Limited, established in June 2005, practicing mainly in all commercial and civil matters.
He has been practicing law within the Scandinavian environment for long period of time. With his knowledge of law from the renowned law faculty of Thammasat University in Thailand for his bachelor degree, and master of law degree from the world class university, i.e. University of Cambridge, in the United Kingdom, he has been well accepted by clients and investors from overseas for their business venture in Thailand.
He has been also a member of the Board of the Scandinavian Society Siam, one of the oldest non-profit organization in Thailand and received the reward of Member of the Year in year 2015.
He now serves as a member of the Legal Committee of the Stock Exchange of Thailand which he has been elected to this prestigious position in the year 2014.
Wichien used to serve as the chairperson of the Employment Committee of the Joint Foreign Chamber of Commerce, and member of the Trade Competition Committee of the Thai Chamber of Commerce.
Tel: +66 (0) 81 6478100
E-mail: [email protected]
Company: Wissen & Co Limited
Mr. Juuso Hallenberg
Director
Event Committee Member
Managing Director at JMT Solutions Co., Ltd.
Juuso Hallenberg is the Managing Director of JMT Solutions Co., Ltd. He works in outsourcing services and supports TFCC through his active role in the Event Committee, contributing to the planning and execution of chamber events. Juuso plays an important part in strengthening community engagement and Finnish–Thai business cooperation.
Tel: +66 98 460 6252
E-mail: juuso.hallenberg@
jmtsolutions.info
Mrs. Elina Väänänen
Treasurer
CEO and Founder of Laavu Learning, a fully remote school that offers full basic education according to the Finnish National Core Curriculum. At Laavu School students study face-to-face with qualified teachers present at every lesson just like in a traditional school but without the requirement of being physically present in the classroom.
Elina has a strong background as a Senior Product Manager, managing a wide variety of SaaS products ranging from reservation systems to student management.
E-mail: [email protected]
Mr. Toni WilLberg
Director
CIO & Head of Professional Services at Iglu
Toni Willberg is a long-time member of the Thai-Finnish business community and serves on the Board of the Thai-Finnish Chamber of Commerce. He works as the CIO and Head of Professional Services at Iglu, based in Bangkok.
With extensive experience in international business, technology, team leadership and remote-work talent solutions, Toni has played a key role in growing Iglu into one of the region’s most recognized service providers for global professionals and companies entering Southeast Asia.
At TFCC, Toni actively contributes to strengthening the community, supporting member companies and promoting cooperation between Finland and Thailand across various business sectors.
E-mail: [email protected]
Mrs. Outi Suojanen
Director
Event Committee Chairwoman
Education Committee Chairwoman
Mrs. Outi Suojanen is the CEO and Founder of Tutoreinstitute. She is also a telecom engineer, HR, and talent development expert.
Tutoreinstitute offers eLearning courses in practical competencies. Practical eLearning courses are available to everyone in the developing world with proven records and licenses.
Tel: +66 82 676 3858
E-mail: outi.suojanen@
tutoreinstitute.com
Mr. Antti Rahikainen
Director
Thirty years of leadership and Asian business expertise: leading teams of up to 250 people and generating yearly sales of €30 million.
Steered TFCC through the most financially challenging time of COVID as President, spearheading cost-cutting measures (64% reduction) and streamlining the financial process as Treasurer and contributed to management processes (marketing, governance, information, social media and events).
Director of Synergy Company (business development and consulting) and former Head of Nokia’s Center of Excellence (total of 31 years at Nokia in diverse roles). Five years of leadership experience in two Leadership Teams managing two large Service Business Units in Nokia: Global Services Delivery (6000 employees) and Network Planning and Optimisation (revenues €700 million).
With over 30 years of traversing the globe – living across five Asian and two European countries and travelling for business in 34 – Antti has cultivated a balanced blend of leadership, business development, and consulting expertise that thrives on cultural diversity and operational excellence.
Tel: +66 88 022 3897
E-mail:
anttipekkarahikainen@
gmail.com
THE ADVISORS
Mr. Jorma Manninen
Senior Advisor
Mr. Jorma Manninen is the Founder & Managing Director of Business Made Agile (Ltd.), which helps foreign investors manage their capital projects by conducting market assessments, developing go-to-market strategies, and planning market entries for foreign businesses in Thailand.
Business Made Agile (Ltd.) is the reseller of Zero CMMS, a cloud-based maintenance management software developed by Aneo Software Oy (Ltd.) based in Finland, and the reseller of coastal maintenance equipment developed by Searial Cleaners based in France.
Mr. Manninen started his long career in the circular economy in 1995 by exporting machinery and equipment to European waste treatment plants and from 1999 until 2016 he worked for the Ekokem Corporation specializing in industrial, commercial, and municipal waste management, materials recycling, waste to energy, and hazardous waste treatment. In 2017 – 2018 he worked in Thailand for Padaeng Industry PCL and was the managing director of PDI-CRT Co., Ltd.
Mr. Manninen has an Executive MBA degree from Aalto University, Helsinki, Finland. He has been certified as a Program Management Professional (PgMP) and Project Management Professional (PMP) by the Project Management Institute (PMI), USA. He is also a Fellow Member of the Thai Institute of Directors (Thai IOD) and graduated from the Director Certification Program (DCP 266) in 2018.
Tel: +66(0)93 224 2444
E-mail: [email protected]
Company: Business Made Agile (Ltd.)
E-mail: [email protected]
Mr. Kai Tuorila
Senior Advisor
Mr. Kai Tuorila has been working close to 30 years as an independent Thailand based business consultant operating all over the South-East Asia Region.
With Master of Science in Engineering at Tampere University of Technology in Finland, and MBA from the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand, his strengths in the areas of energy, environment, life sciences, industrial sourcing, education etc. have helped him to build deeply rooted networks throughout the South-East Asia.
From 2010-2015 Mr. Tuorila was also the Country Representative for Finpro (official trade promotion organization of Finland) in Thailand, looking also after Myanmar, Lao PDR and Cambodia. In addition to his consulting work in Thailand, he is presently looking after the Business Finland’s (formerly known as Finpro) office in Myanmar as Trade Representative.
Tel: +66(0)81 815 2029
E-mail: [email protected]
Company: Netpoint S.E.A. Ltd
Mr. Jari Hietala
Senior Advisor
Mr. Jari Hietala has multiple job roles in Thailand and the rest of Asia. He is the CEO & Founding partner of a Hongkong- based consulting firm Asia Sales Channels Ltd, which helps European firms to set up their sales channels and improve their sales performance across the Asia- region, primarily in China, East-Asia and South East Asia. In addition he is representing a few Finnish companies in the region.
Previously Mr. Hietala used to work 20 years for Finland’s trade promotion organization Finpro. He was twice posted to Thailand during his Finpro career. First in 1994 to 1998 as Finland’s Trade Commissioner for Thailand and second time in 2005 to 2010, when he worked as Vice President for Finpro Asia. In addition to Thailand Mr. Hietala has lived and worked several years in Hongkong, the UK and Belgium.
Mr. Hietala has graduated from Turku School of Economics and Business Administration in Finland in 1985 with a Master’s Degree of Science of Economics.
Tel: +66(0)61 708 6006
E-mail: [email protected]
Company: Asia Sales Channels Ltd
E-mail: [email protected]
Mr. Antti Aromäki
Senior Advisor
Antti Aromäki has over 20 years of experience in the ASEAN region, with the past decade focused on transforming agricultural waste into biofuel, particularly in Thailand.
Currently leading Avis Co. Ltd., his expertise covers the entire biofuel supply chain—from building relationships with upstream agricultural producers to engaging with downstream retail and industry players.
Antti has collaborated closely with key stakeholders, including multinational corporations, local enterprises, government officials, and sustainability-focused NGOs, especially in the sugarcane and cassava sectors.
In addition, Antti has experience in analyzing energy markets across the region, providing a solid understanding of market dynamics, regulatory frameworks, and supply chain challenges. His knowledge in risk management further supports his ability to navigate the complexities of the broader energy sector.
Phone: +66 (0) 923 970 503
E-mail: [email protected]
THE STAFF
Mr. Teuvo Tuomi
Executive Director
Teuvo has been working for various media outlets in Finland and Asia for over three decades. Having a Master’s Degree in mass communication and journalism, he is currently the editor of a few magazines. He’s also a daily administrator of a few SOME-sites.
Teuvo has done some post-graduate studies and received an MBA-degree in Japan. He has also worked as an Area Manager for a leading Finnish well-being and sports company.
On top of his duties with TFCC, he’s currently involved in market research, media, and sports-related projects.
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel: +66 89 967 2273
Ms. Merisa Sutthiwong
Office Assistant
Ms. Merisa brings a wealth of experience and expertise to her role. With a degree in English for Communication in Business, she possesses strong international communication skills, complemented by her experience in professional management, international event coordination, and public relations.
In her previous role with TEBA, Ms. Merisa was actively involved in EU Commission projects, where she was responsible for organizing events and managing various office matters.
E-mail: [email protected]