Who we are
Network of experts
Finnsus Office
Rilli Lappalainen
CEO
Sami Pirkkala
Chair of the Board
Rilli Lappalainen
CEO
Rilli has over 30 years of experience in leading positions in NGOs in Finland, the EU and globally. As a NGO-professional, he is thoroughly familiar with the cross-pressures between members, partners, societal changes and resources. He has experience in establishing new organizations and networks, failures and great successes. Important elements in these have been strategy, foresight, resourcing and achieving results.
Rilli’s strength lies in his experience-based understanding of how third sector actors can make their own operations comprehensively sustainable and how operations create sustainable impacts on society more broadly. As an articulate performer and expert, he is an inspiring speaker and trainer.
For decades, Rilli has engaged in national and international advocacy work (especially within the EU and the UN) in the fields of sustainable development, development policy and citizenship education. He has a good understanding of how, when and with whom things should be taken forward at any given time.
Projects in which Rilli has played a key role include:
- Establishment, development and management of organisations and networks into sustainable and effective actors (e.g. Global Forus, Action for sustainable development, Bridge 47; at European level, CONCORD, the European confederation of NGOs working with sustainable development and international cooperation, SDG watch Europe; at national level, the The Finnish NGDO platform to the EU)
- As a result of persistent advocacy work, the UN's 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals include the target of education (SDG 4.7.), which recognises the importance of lifelong learning and behaviour (including active citizenship) alongside education in promoting a good life and sustainable development
- Accelerating the work of the various EU institutions on sustainable development and human development together with European organisations (creation of mechanisms within EU institutions, EU report to the UN, reduction of inequalities, etc.)
- Participating in the preparation of Finland's voluntary country reports on progress towards sustainable development and coordinating the participation of civil society in them the first time in the world
- Promoting coherence between different policy areas both nationally and internationally (participating in the work of the OECD, for example) and influencing reports and implementation plans that outline development policy and sustainable development
- In addition, Rilli has for years worked in several bodies that bring society together as a whole, as a representative of non-governmental organisations and as a wide-ranging expert in Finland, e.g. the National Commission on Sustainable Development, the Development Policy Committee, the Advisory Board on Human Rights), and as an evaluator, for example. In the Academy of Finland's democracy evaluations and in the network of European development researchers, as a trainer, speaker and mentor on all continents.
Sami Pirkkala
Chair of the Board
Sami has worked for over 20 years in public administration, serving in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister’s Office of Finland. He has played a key role in integrating the UN’s Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development into Finnish government operations and society.
Sami’s strengths include a comprehensive understanding of Finnish society, the Finnish government, EU structures, and international organisations, particularly in the context of sustainable development. He skillfully connects the work of individual actors and specific projects to broader efforts in building a sustainable society. He also has extensive experience using participatory methods in implementing various projects.
Projects where Sami has played a central role include:
- Designing and coordinating the implementation of Finland’s national Agenda 2030 action plans and related government reports at the Prime Minister's Office.
- Preparation of quadrennial national reports on Agenda 2030 implementation for the UN. Finland's engagement with civil society in its implementation work and reporting has served as a model for many other countries.
- Planning and steering evaluations of the national Agenda 2030 implementation. Finland's pioneering work in these evaluations has often been used as an example in the international evaluation community, resulting in several publications serving the evaluation community.
- Steering the strategy process of the National Commission on Sustainable Development, which lead into the adoption of the new strategy in 2022.
- Preparing the EU Council conclusions on the EU's Agenda 2030 implementation during Finland’s EU presidency in 2019. Council conclusions guided the sustainability work of the new EU Commission as it started its work at the end of 2019.
- Additionally, over the years, Sami has been involved in steering committees for numerous research projects promoting sustainability and for various projects within ministries and agencies that have advanced sustainability work. He has also served as the vice-chair of the European Sustainable Development Network (ESDN).