Marko Ahtisaari
{{short description|Finnish technology entrepreneur and musician}}
Marko Ahtisaari (born 6 February 1969{{cite web|title=f-secure board profile page|url=http://www.f-secure.com/f-secure/corporate_profile/board_of_directors/}} in Helsinki, Finland) is a Finnish technology entrepreneur and musician. Ahtisaari has been CEO and co-founder of two technology companies: Dopplr (acquired by Nokia in 2009){{Cite news|url = https://www.ft.com/content/f72e8afe-7661-3dbf-bbe2-638966d99060|title = Nokia maps a path to Dopplr's door|website = Financial Times|date = 28 September 2009|access-date = 2018-04-13|last1 = Bradshaw|first1 = Tim}} and Sync Project (acquired by Bose in 2018).{{Cite web|url = http://syncproject.co/blog/sync-project-joins-bose|title = Sync Project Joins Bose|website = Sync Project|access-date = 2018-04-13}} After the acquisition of Dopplr, Ahtisaari was executive vice president of Design at Nokia{{Cite magazine|url = https://www.wired.com/2012/09/nokias-visionary-wants-to-out-design-apple/|title = Nokia's Visionary Wants to Out-Design Apple|magazine = Wired|access-date = 2018-04-13|last1 = Levy|first1 = Steven}} and later a Director's Fellow at the MIT Media Lab.{{Cite web|url = https://medium.com/mit-media-lab/announcing-the-directors-fellows-cohort-2-41d27d989410|title = Announcing the Director's Fellows Second Cohort
|website = Medium|date = 2 December 2015
|access-date = 2018-04-13}} He is a composer, bassist and singer in the band Construction.{{Cite web|url = https://www.theverge.com/2015/6/17/8796783/the-final-nail-in-nokias-coffin)
|title = The Final Nail in Nokia's Coffin |website = The Verge|date = 17 June 2015 |access-date = 2018-04-13}}
Early life
Marko Ahtisaari is the son of Martti Ahtisaari, a former UN diplomat and President of Finland, and Eeva Ahtisaari, the former First Lady of Finland. He attended Columbia University, where he studied philosophy, economics and music.{{Cite magazine|url = https://www.wired.com/2012/09/nokias-visionary-wants-to-out-design-apple/|title = Nokia's Visionary Wants to Out-Design Apple|magazine = Wired|access-date = 2018-04-13|last1 = Levy|first1 = Steven}}
Work
Ahtisaari's business career started at a new media company Satama Interactive in 1998. In 2002 Ahtisaari left the company to join its biggest client, Nokia. He was appointed Director of Design strategy in 2005. In 2006, he left Nokia and joined his former boss, Nokia CEO Pekka Ala-Pietilä to start an advertisement-supported mobile network Blyk.[http://www.nokia.com/press/events/open-studio-event-in-berlin/spokespeople-marko-ahtisaari Press - Conversations]{{cite news|url=http://www.digitoday.fi/mobiili/2006/11/02/Nokian+Pekka+Ala-Pietil%E4+ja+Ahtisaari+perustivat+operaattorin/200619497/66 |title="Nokia's Pekka Ala-Pietilä and Ahtisaari started an operator" Nokian Pekka Ala-Pietilä ja Ahtisaari perustivat operaattorin | work=Digitoday | accessdate=2008-05-10}} In 2007, Ahtisaari became the founding investor and CEO of online business travel startup Dopplr,{{cite web |url=http://blog.dopplr.com/2007/09/04/dopplr-receives-funding-from-premier-international-team-varsavsky-ito-hoffman-and-klein-invest-in-online-social-travel-service/ |title=Dopplr Receives Funding from Premier International Team: Varsavsky, Ito, Hoffman and Klein invest in online social-travel service |date=2007-09-04 |accessdate=2008-05-11}}{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2007/jul/30/dopplr |title=Dopplr.com |publisher=Guardian |date=2007-07-30 |accessdate=2008-05-11 |first=Bobbie |last=Johnson}} which was acquired by Nokia in 2009.{{Cite web |title=Nokia buys social media website Dopplr |url=https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/nokia-buys-social-media-website-dopplr/940739 |access-date=2022-06-30 |website=www.campaignlive.co.uk |language=en}} Between February 2009 September 2013 Ahtisaari was Head of Product Design at Nokia.{{Cite web |title=GOOD DESIGN Interview - Nokia Design Team |url=https://ahtisaari.typepad.com/moia/2013/05/good-design-interview.html |access-date=2022-06-30 |website=Ahtisaari}}{{Cite web |title=DGAP-UK-Regulatory: Nokia outlines new strategy, introduces new leadership, operational structure |url=https://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2011/02/11/5305593.htm |access-date=2022-06-30 |website=www.tmcnet.com}} In January 2012, he was appointed as a member of the Nokia leadership team.[http://press.nokia.com/2012/01/26/nokia-appoints-marko-ahtisaari-to-nokia-leadership-team/ Nokia appoints Marko Ahtisaari to Nokia Leadership Team - Nokia Press Release January 26th 2012] Ahtisaari announced his resignation from Nokia when Microsoft acquired Nokia's devices business in September 2013.{{Cite web |title=Marko Ahtisaari, Nokia’s Top Designer, to Leave Company in November |url=https://allthingsd.com/20130903/marko-ahtisaari-nokias-top-designer-to-leave-company-in-november/ |access-date=2022-06-30 |website=AllThingsD |language=en-US}}
Ahtisaari is co-editor with Laura Houseley of Out of the Blue: The Essence and Ambition of Finnish Design (Gestalten 2014) a survey of Finnish Design.{{Cite web|url = http://www.cityofsound.com/blog/2014/05/essay-designing-finnishness-for-out-of-the-blue-gestalten.html |title = Designing Finnishness for Out of the Blue |website = City of Sound|access-date = 2018-04-13}} Ahtisaari and Finnish entrepreneur and journalist Jaakko Tapaninen co-authored the book 10x Finland (Teos 2015) for the Finnish-speaking audience on the impact of digitalisation on a country like Finland. The book is based on original interviews with international persons of interest in technology and media including Joi Ito, Stefana Broadbent, Tyler Brule, danah boyd, Joshua Cooper Ramo, and Bret Easton Ellis. In its review the Finnish National daily Helsingin Sanomat called 10x Finland "one of the most interesting books written in Finnish on the effects of digitalisation."{{Cite web|url = https://www.hs.fi/kulttuuri/art-2000002869590.html |title = Näin digiaika murentaa demokratiaa
|website = Helsingin Sanomat|date = 30 November 2015
|access-date = 2018-04-13}} Ahtisaari contributed the essay "Intelligent Travel" to the Freesouls project.{{Cite web |last=Ahtisaari |first=Marko |title=Intelligent Travel |url=https://freesouls.cc/essays/08-marko-ahtisaari-intelligent-travel.html |access-date=2022-06-30 |website=freesouls.cc |language=en}}
Music
Ahtisaari's band Skizm - together with percussionist Mauro Refosco, trumpetist Michael Leonhart, bassist Dan Cooper, singer Carolyn Kelley, and drummer Tobias Gebb - received a NARAS Grammy Showcase Award for new artists.{{cite web |url=http://flow.doorsofperception.com/speakers.html |title=Doors of Perception 7 on Flow |date=2003-03-31 |accessdate=2008-04-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080504205627/http://flow.doorsofperception.com/speakers.html |archive-date=2008-05-04 |url-status=dead }}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- http://ahtisaari.typepad.com/about.html
- http://ahtisaari.typepad.com/moia/2005/12/music_for_airpl.html
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Category:Musicians from Helsinki
Category:Finnish people of Norwegian descent
Category:Finnish male musicians
Category:Columbia College (New York) alumni