Noora Ylijoutsijärvi has 19 years of experience in Nokia Mobile Networks and currently works as Head of Change Programs for Radio Networks R&D and as Head of Nokia Espoo Technology Center. She drives transformation, governance, communications, culture, and organizational development while serving as an operational advisor and leading the development of Nokia headquarter. A proven leader in global transformation programs, Noora fosters openness, fun at work, and positive leadership. She fosters simplicity in tough times and is a strong advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) through sponsorship and daily actions. In her free time, she enjoys tennis, skiing, and seaside walks. Her motto is: Never settle. “I make things happen and expect the same from people around me\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\".

In her session, Leading Humanely in the Age of AI: Skills, Culture, and Transformation, we'll explore how to lead in the era of AI with humanity at the center. AI is already transforming our daily work and lives, changing the way we work and how we deliver value. As AI models become more capable, the value of uniquely human skills only grows.

Why Investing in Leadership Development Is the Smartest Investment in an AI World

Artificial Intelligence is transforming the way we work, but it isn’t changing what people need from one another. 

After more than thirty years working in leadership development, talent management and executive succession planning across industries and around the world, I have come to believe something very simple:

Every leadership role comes with an extraordinary privilege—we are entrusted with part of another person’s growth. 

And because of that, I believe great leaders intentionally leave people stronger than they found them. 

That belief has shaped every coaching conversation, every leadership programme, every succession planning discussion and every executive decision I have been privileged to support. 

As organizations accelerate their investment in AI and emerging technologies, the conversation is often centred on capability, productivity and efficiency. While these investments are essential, they also raise an equally important leadership question: 

How do we continue developing the people who will create the future alongside this technology? 

In this presentation, I will explore why leadership development is not a “soft” investment but one of the smartest strategic investments an organization can make. 

Drawing on more than three decades of experience, I will challenge the audience to rethink leadership—not as managing performance, but as intentionally developing human potential. Together we will explore: 

• Why technological change increases rather than decreases the importance of deeply human leadership.
• What thirty years of observing careers has taught me about what truly differentiates long-term success. 
• Why leadership development is one of the few organizational investments whose value compounds over an entire career.
• Why organizations should move beyond asking “How do we retain people?” and instead ask: “How well did we prepare them for whatever comes next?” 
• Why investing in younger generations—long before they become managers—is one of the greatest leadership responsibilities we have.
• Why sponsorship, trust and intentionally believing in people’s potential remain responsibilities that no technology can replace.
• How organizations that intentionally develop people not only create stronger leaders and healthier cultures, but also achieve stronger business outcomes.
   

The presentation concludes with a hopeful message. 

While technology will continue to reshape our workplaces, our greatest competitive advantage will always be people. 

The leaders who create the greatest impact will not simply be those who embrace AI.

They will be those who intentionally create environments where people feel seen, valued, challenged and inspired to grow. 

Because one day our titles will disappear, our projects will end and today’s technology will be replaced.

But the people we invested in will still be leading.

If they are stronger because we were there, then perhaps that is the greatest measure of leadership.

And perhaps that is the greatest investment any organization can make.

Rhonda Bernard is a coach, facilitator, and consultant with nearly 30 years of senior HR and leadership experience. She helps companies and individuals grow through leadership and organizational transformation, value-added selling and customer-centric marketing, and inclusive leadership and culture intelligence.

She designs and delivers creative, collaborative solutions that inspire change, strengthen culture, and accelerate performance. Her work combines commercial focus with human insight—helping leaders and teams connect across cultures, build trust, and deliver lasting impact. 

Holding an MBA in Organizational Development from Georgia State University and certifications from International Coaching Federation, Mind Gym and Myers-Briggs, Rhonda has worked with international organizations including Imerys, Antalis, and The Estée Lauder Companies. 

She is an expert in value-added and consultative selling, DEIB, leadership development, talent management, and organizational transformation, having led global initiatives in business model transformation, change leadership, cultural transformation, and leadership pipeline development.

With an American, South Korean, and French family background and extensive experience living and working across the USA, Asia, Europe, and South America, Rhonda brings a uniquely global perspective and deep understanding of cross-cultural leadership.

Hannu Blomqvist is a PMO Manager at Codemen Oy and a trainer at Equ Pro. He has more than 25 years of experience leading complex projects and programs in international, multi-stakeholder, multi-vendor, and multicultural environments. During his career, he has successfully managed a wide range of initiatives, including ICT transformation projects, mobile network deployments, large-scale rollout programs, and R&D projects. His experience spans both predictive and agile delivery approaches.

In addition to project delivery, Hannu has supported organizations in developing project, program, and portfolio management practices, establishing PMOs, and mentoring project managers and project leaders.
Hannu is an experienced trainer and a recognized speaker at national and international conferences, where he shares practical insights drawn from real-life project leadership experience.
He holds the PMI Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification and is also a Certified ScrumMaster®.

In this presentation, How multinational project leadership is evolving in today's increasingly complex business environment, Hannu shares practical lessons learned from leading demanding international projects and programs, and discusses how multinational project leadership is evolving in today's increasingly complex business environment.

Markku Aarni is an experienced project management consultant and trainer at IQI Success Insuring Oy. He helps organizations develop their project, program, portfolio, and PMO capabilities, with a particular focus on turning strategy and business opportunities into successful execution.

In his session, Are Our Current Capabilities Fit for the Challenge Ahead?, he challenges organizations to examine whether their existing delivery models, governance structures, and ways of working are still fit for purpose. Many of these practices were designed for a more predictable era and a different business logic.

As AI reshapes knowledge work, raises expectations for speed and adaptability, and creates new business opportunities, simply adding new technology to old operating models will not be enough. The session invites participants to consider which organizational capabilities need to be strengthened — or redesigned — to lead projects and transformation successfully in the AI era.

Building Future-Fit Project Leaders at Scale:  Lessons from serving  a Multinational Capability Transformation Initiative at a large global telecom industry client of IIL

Topics covered in this presentation:

• Identifying the skills (capability) gap at  customer organization, and building the business case
• Compiling a design team and obtaining leadership support across regions and countries
• Selecting a partner and designing the programme solution together
• Managing rollout across a large multinational organisation (internal + partner coordination)
• Lessons learned, challenges
• Outcomes and future-fit leadership capabilities so far, future outlook for the programme.

Tam Abaku is an Independent Consultant in Public Sector AI and Digital Transformation, Secretary and Director of Governance on the PMI Finland Board, and a PhD researcher in Global Governance. Her project portfolio spans NGO humanitarian operations, deepwater projects in the oil and gas sector, financial technology, and public sector transformation — environments where managing divergent stakeholder interests is not a theoretical concern, but a daily one. She holds credentials in both AI Ethics and Public Sector AI Audit, and brings that rare combination to a question the profession can no longer defer: what does it mean for a project manager to be ethical, not just compliant?

At this conference, Tam presents M.O.R.E. Than Compliance: How Project Managers Lead Ethical AI in Government — making the case that ethical practice is not a finishing layer applied to AI projects, but the foundation on which responsible delivery is built. Drawing on real-world case evidence, fairness implementation methodology, and audit, this session is designed for project professionals who manage the reality of public sector AI delivery — and who understand that being ethical is not optional, it is the job.

Jari Anttila is a strategic program and project leader, consultant, and doctoral researcher with over 20 years of experience in complex ICT, digital transformation, and international initiatives. He is working with organizations to lead complex programs and projects, strengthen governance, and deliver technology-enabled change.

His doctoral research focuses on how AI can strengthen project governance and strategy execution. Jari holds an MBA and an MSc in Computer Science, and his certifications include PMP and PMI Certified Professional in Managing AI.

From AI Tools to Project Success - How AI Can Strengthen Governance, Value Delivery and Strategy Execution

AI is already helping project professionals work faster, but its greater potential lies in helping organizations create more successful projects.

In this session, Jari Anttila explores how AI can strengthen project governance by improving visibility, supporting better oversight, and connecting project delivery more closely with value and strategy. Rather than focusing on AI tools alone, the session looks at how organizations can connect AI to their own project context, governance practices, and delivery experience, so that AI supports clearer oversight, stronger coordination, and better project outcomes.

Attendees will gain practical ideas for moving from scattered AI experiments toward more transparent, value-oriented, and future-fit project leadership.

Mirva Härmä believes that project management is ready for disruption. With more than two decades of experience leading complex projects and over ten years of coaching and developing project leaders and organizations, she has seen first-hand why so many projects still fail to achieve their goals. Today, as the founder of ProjectBuddy, she is building the next generation of AI-powered project leadership.
Mirva’s mission is to help organizations move beyond traditional reporting and administration toward transparent, data-driven leadership, where every stakeholder shares the same understanding of project reality. She believes AI will not replace project leaders, it will empower them to focus on what matters most; leadership, collaboration, and better decision-making.

AI won't transform project management by making project managers faster, it will transform it by changing how projects are led. Despite decades of better methodologies and tools, too many projects still run late, exceed budgets, and fail to deliver expected outcomes. Perhaps the problem isn't how we manage projects, but how we lead them. AI offers more than automation. It enables a shift from reporting and administration to true project leadership by creating a shared, real-time understanding across all stakeholders. The biggest challenge isn't technology, it's changing the culture and mindset of project leadership. In her session, Why Project Management Needs to be Disrupted?, we'll

• Challenge the myth that delays, budget overruns, and missed objectives are simply part of project delivery.
• Discover how AI enables project managers to move from administration to leadership.
• Learn why transparent, shared situational awareness is becoming the foundation of successful projects.
• Understand why the real disruption is cultural not technological.