Mentors Catalogue

Expertise: Window 1: Sustainability, Window 2: Innovation

I am working in management consulting with long experience as a managing director and an entrepreneur.

I have a lot experience in hotel-, restaurant-, traveling / tourism-, premises-, purchase- and coaching- / headhunting – business as well as strong know-how in general management and leadership. I am also a trainer and consultant at Visit Finland Akatemia.

In work related matters (leading profits with knowledge, concept development, result renovations, purchase analysis and competitive tendering, finding business locations and building, headhunting, interim management, board member) and new challenges / new opportunities please do not hesistate to contact me.

Expertise: Window 1: Sustainability, Window 2: Innovation

Sonia Oprean is a Co-founder & Co-CEO of Synerb. Sonia started her social entrepreneurship journey working for Villgro Innovations Foundation in India and continued as a Senior Portfolio Manager of NESsT Romania. She is an experienced trainer and an active mentor, offering strategic support in financial and performance management, human resources and governance, fundraising and social impact to a significant number of social enterprises. Her previous professional experience includes 4 years with PwC Romania and one year in the Philippines, where she led an international team in establishing a legal process outsourcing start-up. Sonia is the author of the first research on the financial sustainability of social enterprises in România and an ACCA member.

Synerb helps purpose-driven entrepreneurs and visionary NGOs to start and to grow social ventures through complex tailored technical assistance programs that combine training, mentorship and flexible finance. Synerb’s final impact translates into decent jobs, income for the vulnerable, skilled people, strong, sustainable local organizations and prosperous communities.

Expertise: Window 1: Sustainability, Window 2: Innovation

Lars, Managing Director of SolutionsHI®, is a hotelier since …ever. In love from day one with the great idea of travel and hostmanship.

Expert of the sector with 30 years of experience in diverse hotels where he has worked in management or as consultant. Enthusiastic, innovative, people & impact focused.

Teaching at universities and speaking at events to keep up with the future of the industry. In 2020 he initiated his latest adventure, supporting leading independent & green-minded boutique hotels around the globe with the platform “Singular Places”. Connecting the best SMEs in travel & hospitality to a community of already over 100 amazing hosts!

Expertise: Window 1: Sustainability, Window 2: Innovation

With over two decades of dynamic leadership and development experience, Seija is a seasoned guide for small businesses looking to advance their businesses toward a more sustainable future and obtain an environmental certification. Her background in international business and recent focus on small business development and entrepreneurship education and consulting in Kuusamo enable the implementation of tailored solutions.

In the autumn of 2023, with her assistance, a Kuusamo based company has already acquired an international Green Key certification.

Expertise: Window 1: Sustainability, Window 2: Innovation

Positive Impact is an expert company specializing in sustainable tourism and corporate climate
management.

We have consulted numerous companies in tourism industry in climate work,
calculations and sustainability programs. We are also expert partners for many organizations
e.g. the Federation of Lapland and Visit Finland.

We master tourism development and sustainability in general as well as many specific subjects
for example regenerative tourism, product development, storytelling in marketing, progress
measurement and indicators, sustainable procurement and value chains.

Expertise: Window 1: Sustainability, Window 2: Innovation

We are an applied innovation agency specialised in Talent Management, where we design projects to improve the scope, profitability and efficiency of our clients with the aim of our clients with the aim of getting everything just right.

We take on our clients’ challenges as our own to transform them into value through innovative
through innovative actions.

We bring strategic intelligence, experience and passion to the table, which enables us to deliver optimum results in business model innovation projects, as well as the diagnosis and solution of anyas well as the diagnosis and solution of any other organisational need.

At PayPerThink, we help you build the best possible future.

Expertise: Window 1: Sustainability

Co-founder of Sinova, a boutique consulting firm specialised in providing impact driven solutions for public administrations, startups and private companies in the fields of sustainable tourism, local development and social innovation. Previous to that, I led the Strategic Partnerships team at Airbnb in Southern Europe for 7 years, where I managed global projects like the Airbnb Heritage Program in Europe and the Office of Healthy Tourism. In Spain, I launched the Airbnb Travel Tech Awards to support travel startups and entrepreneurs.

My favorite project with Airbnb  is the collaboration with Starlight Foundation and Grantecan (The Canary Island Telescope) to promote astro-tourism in rural areas of La Palma island.

As a mentor, my aim is to empower SMEs guiding them through the transition to sustainability, innovation and purpose. I am committed to sharing knowledge and facilitating collaboration, helping SMEs to unlock the sky’s potential and build a better future for tourism.

Expertise: Window 1: Sustainability

Anu Nylund is tourism and education professional who specializes in responsible business and regenerative tourism. Entrepreneurship and the conceptualization of new services go hand in hand with academic studies. Anu has more than 25 years of experience in diverse tasks in the tourism industry and development tasks in tourism education in Finland.

Anu founded Mood of Finland company in 2018 and now works as a full-time entrepreneur. Anu Nylund is a coach at the Business Finland/Visit Finland academy, where she mainly works as a coach for the national Sustainable travel Finland program. In addition to educational services, Mood of Finland company owned by Anu Nylund develops and conceptualizes mainly nature-based services, the most successful example of which is Love Forest Finland.

Expertise: Window 1: Sustainability, Window 2: Innovation

Resilience coach and organisational developer with excellent experience in business development and achieving strategic goals.

My expertise is a unique combination of communication, resilience development, Lean Six Sigma and NLP. I use service design, communication and Lean methodologies to improve the performance and competitiveness of organisations. Resilience is at the heart of designing and implementing change. NLP reinforces desired mindsets and communication skills and ensures a positive growth cycle. Coaching and executive coaching support individuals and organisations to achieve their goals.

For the last one and a half years I have been working as a project manager for Naturpolis in the Agile Change Coaching Programme, developing resilience and business performance in ten tourism companies. (I am a keen traveller and occasionally I find myself helping a resort entrepreneur with business development.)

I am a bold inspirer and future researcher. In my work I encourage and help entrepreneurs to build sustainability, strong scenarios, innovate new services and business models, develop customer-oriented operations and communication.

I am enthusiastic about challenges and strive for efficiency and high quality. Excellent pressure tolerance and good interpersonal skills are inherent qualities. My values are planning, responsibility and reliability.

Expertise: Window 1: Sustainability

I am currently an Associate in Deloitte Financial Advisory unit in corporate sustainability services, impact measurement and ESG risk analysis. 

During my professional career, I worked in different fields regarding sustainability, and social impact. I started my career in financial inclusion and economic development projects in Latin America. Then, worked on several consulting projects in different areas, including sustainability and social innovation, for corporates and start ups. I launched my own project creating a community for entrepreneurs fostering tourism and economic development. I have also been mentor for start ups in a program focused on circular economy.

I hold a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Universidad de Navarra and diploma in Business Sustainability Management from Cambridge University (UK)

Expertise: Window 1: Sustainability, Window 2: Innovation

I’m a passionate in tourism industry. After more than 20 years working in the tourism sector with important training, consulting and management companies, I began my professional career on my own focusing on advice, management and training in quality and sustainability for companies and destinations. All of this, taking advantage of my experience and passion for the tourism industry in general and the hotel industry in particular. Currently, I help entrepreneurs and tourism companies (specialized in accommodation and restaurants) to improve the profit-earning capacity and reputation of their business.

Expertise: Window 1: Sustainability, Window 2: Innovation

Magnus Nature, a company founded in 2003, has a strong specialisation in tourism, operating nationally and internationally.

Our areas of work focus on strategic planning, tourism marketing, plans, tourism communication, tourism brand development, tourism product design and development, tourism product club development, brand certifications and event design and development

Expertise: Window 1: Sustainability, Window 2: Innovation

Digital business expert and entrepreneur  from Rovaniemi Lapland Finland.

Mentored and coached hundreds of organizations in the public and private sectors for several years in organizing, initiating network-based cooperation, and especially in mastering digital commerce and international distribution channels.

I have received special mention for my active role in planning, developing, and coaching tasks in the digital business of the tourism industry and have recognitions among SMEs for her clear presentation and speaking skills. I am a sought-after speaker at events and workshops dealing with digital commerce and distribution.

Expertise: Window 1: Sustainability, Window 2: Innovation

Social, motivating and easy to work with are the key attributes that describe me as a person. I am at my best when working with people towards a common goal. I have the ability to make complex things easy to understand and to translate strategies or action plans into action. With my support you will always achieve something real – not only documents or guidelines that will never be utilized. And before all, a hint of humor will make us enjoy working together! 

Expertise: Window 1: Sustainability, Window 2: Innovation

Insertus works in the tourism and culture sector in different areas ranging from consultancy, events, tourism activities, marketing and even theatre and audiovisual production. The experience acquired in the different fields is applied transversally to the other areas in order to provide a comprehensive solution for each project and each company.
Our main objective is to offer a quality service adapted to our clients. This premise has given us recognition for our work at a national level, always taking into account innovation and sustainability.
The Insertus team has developed projects for companies and main destinations in Extremadura, accessible routes, implementation of sustainability plans, marketing plans, advice on the creation of innovative and sustainable products.

Expertise: Window 1: Sustainability, Window 2: Innovation

We innovate your company by assembling our team in your organisation, working with you in strategic planning, process improvement and project management, enabling the achievement of tangible results.

Through joint work dynamics we will achieve success in your company. We have developed a multitude of projects that endorse our experience making possible the dream of many organisations.

For Innsamble, your needs and objectives are fundamental. Our job is to listen to you, understand you and develop projects that meet your expectations, offering you the best service, and accompanying you so that you feel totally confident and secure in the process.

Expertise: Window 1: Sustainability, Window 2: Innovation

INNOVACIÓN, CALIDAD Y MEDIO AMBIENTE, S.L. (INCYMA) is a company from Extremadura founded in 2007 dedicated to strategic consultancy and the implementation of management systems (Quality, Environmental Management, Health and Safety, R&D&I, Energy Efficiency Management Systems and Corporate Social Responsibility).

Expertise: Window 1: Sustainability, Window 2: Innovation

At FocusgyLab, our clients’ growth is our priority.

As experts in strategic innovation, management, marketing, digitalization and business model redesign, we contribute to the integration and development of the SDGs, to enhance the growth and scalability of the companies we work with. 

Among our achievements in 2023 is the contribution to the development and exponential growth of the company that won the second prize in the “Youth business entrepreneurship award” according to the criteria of: 

• Impact on the entrepreneur. 
• Impact on the environment. 
• Introduction of an innovative component. 
• Use of technologies.

And the redesign of the business model of the winning project of the 2nd Explorer UIB 2023 award, to transform it into an innovative, sustainable and inclusive idea, which made them worthy of this award.

Expertise: Window 1: Sustainability, Window 2: Innovation

Specialized in sustainability and innovation for tourism companies with more than 20 years of experience. Our goal is to do it in an accessible, viable and tangible way focused on the short and medium term.

Expertise: Window 1: Sustainability

I’m a social entrepreneur specialized in sustainable tourism, I work remotely 100% of my time and I’m passionate about the rural areas.

After 16 years living abroad and traveling all around the world working for international organizations such as the World Bank, I decided to move back to my hometown in the Canary Islands with the objective of giving back to my own community and demonstrating that there is a different way of doing tourism away from the current mass tourism model we have.

I help small tourism businesses to better align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and I guide them on how to design and implement a business sustainability plan, including the co-creation of new tourism experiences. 

Expertise: Window 1: Sustainability

Cristina Iliescu is the Destination Manager for Transylvanian Highlands since 2019.

In this role she has been involved in the development of Romania’s largest certified ecotourism destination from ground-up. She has more than 10 years of experience in sustainable rural development, capacity building, strategic planning, and project management. She has significant experience as a local facilitator and mentor of collaborative platforms in ecotourism, working with a rich network of small-scale tourism businesses (around 80). She is a certified trainer for sustainable tourism and has 5 years of relevant experience delivering training sessions in ecotourism for businesses.

Email contacto: [email protected]

Expertise: Window 1: Sustainability, Window 2: Innovation

Cristian Valentin Cismaru is a guide and associate partner of a tourism agency established in 2000, specializing in cultural tourism with an Incoming activity. As the founder of the My Transylvania Association, he initiated the series of rural events called Transilvanian Brunch, which have been replicated in nine other regions of Romania since 2018. His current activity is focused on implementing a model ecotourism project in the Southern Carpathians, in the Hayhut Country (Țara Colibelor), where local resources are creatively used to develop the local community that still practices transhumance. In parallel, he develops and implements tourism revitalization plans throughout the country, which involve the conservation and promotion of cultural heritage through contemporary concepts and ecotourism-related initiatives.

[email protected]

Expertise: Window 1: Sustainability

My interest in sustainable tourism has developed over the course of my career, spanning over 10 years in the industry. During this time, I have had the opportunity to work in different contexts, from small businesses to institutions, providing me with a comprehensive perspective on the challenges and opportunities in this sector.

My skills and experience in education and program development are a valuable asset for the mentor role. I have had the opportunity to lead workshops and training programs in sustainability and innovation for small businesses and students. My ability to communicate effectively and adapt my approach to different audiences enables me to convey complex sustainability concepts in an accessible and motivating manner. I am confident that my enthusiasm for sustainability and my commitment to developing practical solutions will be a valuable asset to the project.

I firmly believe in the importance of adopting sustainable tourism practices that conserve and protect the natural and cultural environment of destinations while benefiting the people who live there.

Expertise: Window 1: Sustainability

Entrepreneur, story designer, and speaker Anne Kalliomäki is the founder of Tarinakone Ltd., Storysheep. The company has been pioneering in storification – a story-driven design process – in Finland for over 15 years. In tourism story is the heart of the business. The engaging core story helps us design story experiences for our customers. This is the way to stand out and engage both in marketing and in overall customer service. 

Anne has done more than a hundred engaging core stories for companies and organizations, hundreds of lectures, and story workshops, and wrote a Finnish written award-winning book on the method of storification, how to transform your customer experience into an engaging story experience. In recent years she has been also doing story-based place branding projects. Anne is an authorized coach at the Visit Finland Academy. She is known for her creative, innovative, heart-centric, and business-minded approach. 

Expertise: Window 2: Innovation

As a PhD holder in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Organization, with a specialization in intelligent materials, I embarked on a research journey that led me to explore the transformative potential of these materials in different applications. Driven by a passion for innovation and technological advancements, I am now thrilled to lead Renfe’s Open Innovation team, spearheading the development of innovative mobility and logistics solutions at TrenLab.

My expertise lies in bridging the gap between cutting-edge research and practical applications. I have a proven track record of identifying and translating scientific breakthroughs into real-world solutions. At TrenLab, I am committed to fostering a culture of collaboration and open innovation, bringing together diverse perspectives and expertise to co-create disruptive solutions for the future of the company.

Expertise: Window 1: Sustainability

Alina Vasile-Floroaie is a British-Romanian ESG advisory leader with a deep understanding of sustainability strategy, circular economy, sustainability reporting, and renewable energy investments.

She has extensive experience in management consulting, public sector, and regional policy, having worked globally throughout her career. Alina’s political science background and her work on regional policy for the European Union have given her a unique perspective on the complex challenges and opportunities of sustainable development. She is passionate about helping organizations build and implement ambitious sustainability strategies that align with their business goals and contribute to a more sustainable future.

Alina’s work at Dare Strategy Ltd. and The Climate School is focused on helping organizations navigate the transition to sustainable business models. She is also an expert contributor for Cambridge Sustainability Leadership Institute, where she teaches Business Sustainability Management and Climate Change – Net Zero. Additionally, Alina serves as a Google for Start-ups & Climate-KIC mentor and a Green Advisory Expert at CINEA.

Expertise: Window 1: Sustainability, Window 2: Innovation

I founded my first business at the age of 23 and since then I have dedicated myself to applying creativity and strategy to entrepreneurial ventures. 

Initially, I started as a visual communication designer and later transitioned into strategic design consulting. 

I am a university professor, educator, and mentor for entrepreneurs, specializing in the areas of Innovation (business ideation and model development), Branding (brand strategy and identity), and User Experience (customer and user-centric design). 

With my sights set on the future, I am deeply engaged and passionate about everything I do, driven by a genuine interest in enhancing the lives of people, organizations, and the planet.

Expertise: Window 1: Sustainability, Window 2: Innovation

Masmagín SL and its technical team offer companies interested in the LookUP programme the following services:

1. Sustainability strategy linked to tourism and business development: Internal management and human resources, marketing and communication, stakeholder engagement, social inclusion and accessibility, sustainability certificates, and access to finance.

2. Green transition: Energy efficiency, renewable energy, waste management, and circular economy.

3. Innovation: Development of innovative ideas, and business plans.