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Do you admire a particular Haaga-Helia alum?The Alum of the Year inspires us with their example and acts as a partner with our university. The Alum of the Year is also asked to give a speech at the next graduation ceremony at Finlandia Hall.
You can nominate an alum based on the criteria as below.
- Success in their career: has achieved success in their career and demonstrated expertise, innovation or leadership.
- Impact on society: is a positive role model for others and contributes to society, either locally or globally.
- Networking: has been actively involved in Haaga-Helia's networks, for example by contributing to events, giving lectures or participating in other activities.
- Commitment to our university: is a proud representative of Haaga-Helia and actively supports its development and goals, they may hire our students as interns.
- Lifelong learning: demonstrates an interest in continuous learning and professional growth or development.
- Sparring and mentoring: has helped and supported other members of the alumni, staff and/or student community by sharing their experiences, networks and expertise.
- Responsibility and ethics: acts responsibly and ethically and promotes the principles of sustainable development.
The nomination of a candidate
You can nominate your candidate – or several of them – by 31 August 2026. Later, you can vote one from the top 3 finalists. The winner will be announced at the end of the year.
If you have had a great nominee last during last years, you can still propose them this year’s round. We always try to find the finalists from different fields. The arguments in nominations make a big difference – it's worth investing in them!
We warmly invite students, alumni, staff, partners and everyone else to nominate a new Alum of the Year:
Nominate your favourite Alum
Previous winners and finalists
The Alum of the Year has been selected at Haaga-Helia since 2012. Check out the previous winners here.
The finalists have been before:
- Serial Entrepreneur and Founding Member Sami Benamed (2025)
- Member of Parliament and Entrepreneur Noora Fagerström (2023)
- CEO, Strategic Mentor, Writer & Keynote Speaker Kati Huovinmaa (2025)
- Head Coach Tommi Niemelä (2023)
- Head of Artificial Intelligence and Innovation and Doctoral Researcher Jukka Niittymaa (2024)
- Operations Manager, Entrepreneur and Community Consultant Doris Tuohimaa (2024)
- Academy Director & Founder Pui Ying Law (2025)
Previous Alum of the Year nominees cannot be nominated again. Finalists for the award may be nominated again five years after their previous appearance in the final.
