Nominate your candidate for CTO of the Year 2021 and Innovation Professor of the Year 2021!

Have you worked with an exceptional CTO in Finland? Would you also like to highlight an innovative professor whose work in the academia has successfully made a difference in the industry sector? We are now looking for nominations to find the CTO of the Year 2021 but are also in the search of the Innovation Professor of the Year 2021. Nominate your candidates today!

Nominate your candidate here

Innovation Professor of the Year 2021 in Finland

For 10 years, the CTO of the Year Award has been given to distinguished persons in the industry. We now see that their best counterparts in academia deserve a similar kind of award as well. Therefore, in spring 2021, we will also give an award for the Innovation Professor of the Year.

Who is eligible? In the selection criteria of the Innovation Professor, the following factors will be considered:

  • Funding portfolio
  • Funding volume over the past 5-10 years for projects done in collaboration with the industry
  • Patents licenced by industry
  • Spinoffs and jobs created

CTO of the Year 2021 in Finland

Since 2011, the annual award has been given to emphasise the importance of Chief Technology Officers in maintaining the future competitiveness of Finnish industries. It is awarded by Technology Industries of Finland, Business Finland and Spinverse in two categories: SMEs and large companies.

Who is eligible? Anyone who is responsible for their company’s technology in Finland. The selection criteria are very comprehensive and are specified by three categories: the person, the CTO's company and societal impact. 

In 2020, Jani Vilenius from Sandvik and Aki Mäkivirta from Genelec were chosen as CTOs of the Year. The complete list of winners throughout the years is impressive, but who do you want to see there next? Nominate your candidate for the 2021 award right away! 

The nomination period is open until 8 January 2021. The winners of the CTO of the Year 2021 and Innovation Professor of the Year 2021 awards will be announced next spring. Stay tuned and visit www.ctoforum.fi.

The CTO Forum is a community for Chief Technology Officers and technology leaders to learn from their peers and benchmark against the best practices in the field. The Forum provides a platform for networking across different industries and for companies of all sizes, raises the awareness of Finnish technology leadership and promotes visibility of CTOs and their companies. The Finnish CTO Forum is implemented as a joint undertaking with Business FinlandTechnology Industries of Finland and Spinverse.