International Women’s Day: My career path!

Pia Karumaa, Danfoss Drives

Pia Karumaa currently works as Head of Research Collaboration at Danfoss Drives in Helsinki, where she is responsible for global research partnerships with business and academic partners. Pia also leads Danfoss’s five-year Veturi program Fossil Free Future, aimed at building a fossil-free ecosystem to support the green transition. In addition, she serves as a board member of the EnergySampo consortium and represents Danfoss in the Hydrogen Europe association.

Pia has extensive experience in research and development from Aalto University and Häme University of Applied Sciences. Before moving to the university as a postgraduate student, Pia led global business and system development programs at Nokia. Pia holds a Master’s degree in Materials Engineering from Tampere University of Technology. One of her notable achievements during her studies was founding the Materials Engineering Guild and serving as its first chairperson. She also earned a Doctor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering and Management from Aalto University and completed an Executive MBA at the University of Hull in the United Kingdom.

Maija Liiri, Millennium Technology Prize

Maija Liiri is the CEO of Technology Academy Finland, the organization behind the Millennium Technology Prize, a leading global innovation award highlighting the crucial role of technology and science in addressing the major challenges of our time.

She holds an M.Sc. in Wood Technology with a minor in International Design Business Management. Her early career was built in international wood product exports, where strong French language skills opened doors and led to sales responsibilities across multiple international markets.

After a period of parental leave, she transitioned to the non-profit and innovation sector, joining the Technology Academy Finland as Network Manager. After four years in the role, she was appointed CEO to lead the organization and the Millennium Technology Prize through a significant renewal and strategic development phase.

Ekaterina Pogosova, Nokia Technologies

Ekaterina holds a Master’s degree in Applied Mathematics from St. Petersburg State University, a Master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Eastern Finland, and a Doctoral degree in Signal Processing from Tampere University. She is also a Qualified European Patent Attorney and a European Patent Litigator.

Ekaterina began her professional career at Tampere University in 2001, working as a researcher/senior researcher until she joined Nokia in 2006 as an SoC specialist in the Wireless Modem organization. In 2010, she moved as part of a business transfer to Renesas and later to Broadcom, where she worked until 2015. During these years, she held various positions ranging from system design and architecture to project and technology management. In 2015, she returned to Nokia and joined the IPR department, initially as a Senior IPR Specialist, later taking a Senior Manager and a Director roles. She currently serves as Senior Director and Head of a unit responsible for the technical aspects of patent licensing and litigation.

Heidi Kuusniemi, Wireless Systems, Tampere University

Professor Heidi Kuusniemi is Professor of Wireless Systems at Tampere University's Wireless Research Center and holds a joint professorship with the Finnish Geospatial Research Institute at the National Land Survey of Finland. She is an internationally recognized expert in resilient positioning, navigation and timing (PNT), focusing on satellite navigation interference mitigation, multi-sensor fusion and trustworthy situational awareness from space to Earth. She has led numerous national and international research projects in wireless systems, geospatial technologies and the space economy. Prof. Kuusniemi currently serves as President of the Nordic Institute of Navigation, is a member of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters as well as the Finnish Academy of Technical Sciences and was named Professor of the Year 2025 by the Professors’ Union of Finland.