Kaleva Koru and Lapponia’s CEO Laura Lares is at the helm of an organisation with an eye on the future as well as the past.

AS THE CEO of both Kalevala Koru and Lapponia, Laura Lares has overseen the operations of two of the oldest and most respected Finnish brands for more than three-and-a-half years. In light of the recent global financial crisis, she spoke to Helsinki Times about the current challenges of running a respected company owned by a non-profit organisation, while maintaining an important link with the companies' rich histories.

HT: Tell us about the history of both Kalevala and Lapponia Jewellery. How did they start and when did the two companies merge?

EVENTS during the recent financial crisis have illustrated the risk of problems spreading across national borders. Much of the regulation of the financial system is national in character while the system itself operates globally. During the authorities of different countries co-operated on an ad hoc basis, making up the rules as they went.

Now Northern European countries have signed an agreement to maintain cross-border financial stability and plan a common response to any future crisis. The central banks, finance ministries and financial supervisory authorities of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden are signatories.

Having previously struggled to meet demand, one company is now negotiating to reduce man-hours.

THE POLITICAL tailwind enjoyed by the wind power industry has turned into a stubborn headwind as a result of the global financial crisis. The industry's immediate prospects remain dim.

As recently as two years ago, Jukka Jäämaa, CEO of Moventas, a company that manufactures gears for wind turbines in Jyväskylä, predicted year-on-year growth of 30 per cent for the wind power market. He added that Moventas's aim was to outpace market growth.

Nokia and Intel founded an innovation centre in Oulu to develop 3D technology.

In the 1970s, computers were operated through command prompts. In the eighties, the desktop model was introduced, borrowing office staples like the recycle bin. In the future, the view in mobile devices may be quite different.

Nokia and the world's largest microprocessor manufacturer, Intel, opened their first Joint Innovation Center in the University of Oulu on Tuesday 24 August. Its primary goal is to develop new modes of use for mobile devices.

Helsinki Design Week showcases some of the most creative minds in the world today.

SOME of the best designers in the world will be on display in Helsinki during the sixth annual Helsinki Design Week. The city-wide event kicks off in Seurasaari with the public introduction of the new building Kalevala Cradle.

Helsinki Design Week runs from 26 August to 5 September. The theme this year is storytelling, so many of the events tell the story behind the creations, processes and products of design. Events will be held all over the city, but the main venue will be the 53,000 square metre Cable Factory in Ruoholahti.

Finnish amusement parks have millions of visitors and millions of euros of profits each year.

THE economic recession had an unexpected benefit last summer. The normal travel-happy Finns instead stayed closer to home, especially boosting the business of amusement parks. This year consumer confidence has increased and many Finns are once again travelling abroad, but some parks are once again reporting a good season.

Last year the amusement park Särkänniemi in Tampere played host to 674,000 visitors, a 12 per cent increase from the year before. Total numbers haven’t been released for this summer’s season yet, but ...

Visiting researchers will have a new place to live in Helsinki, but that is only one service the universities offer them.

THE University of Helsinki and Aalto University are investing heavily to make international researchers and lecturers feel more at home. At the start of September the institutions will open two residence halls in Töölö specifically renovated for foreign visitors.

The two buildings were built in 1952 and originally designed to serve as halls of residence. Since the 1980s they have been used as office space. “We have now returned them to their original use,” explains Juha Kurki, Property Manager for the University of Helsinki, who is overseeing the project.

The Finnish metal music industry is searching for profit in its thriving art.

THE cliché is that Finns are dark, broody and melancholy. A century ago this national temperament found a voice in the works of Jean Sibelius. Today it comes through in the metal music industry.

Metal music is big business in Finland. This summer over 30,000 people went to the Tuska music festival in Helsinki while about 70,000 went to Sonisphere in Pori. It is also one of Finland’s biggest cultural exports. While the global music industry is struggling against falling album sales due to internet piracy, Finnish metal acts attempt to leverage a competitive advantage of intense brand loyalty.

House prices are continuing to rise at eye-watering rates but a recent burst of construction activity may soon offer buyers some relief.

A SHARP rise in the amount of new residential construction may act as a break on soaring house prices over the coming years. The housing market has already overheated in many areas and low interest rates have helped push demand to new heady heights. People in the market for a home might be in a better position as early as next year, when houses currently being built reach completion.

The VC Zone project is showing global investors the best of Finnish start-up companies.

INVESTING in Finnish high-tech start-ups has just become easier for international venture capitalists. The Helsinki International VC Zone is a project that brings top-tier, technology-focused venture capitalists to the Greater Helsinki area in order to meet promising entrepreneurs.

The project, a partnership between Technopolis and Greater Helsinki Promotion, offers everything a VC needs to work in the Finnish market. The VC is given access to physical office space so ...