Aalto x EMMA Talks | About Entrepreneurship and Creativity

The discussion event consists of two sections:

Nokia Design Archive: how technology was designed to capture our heart?

Project manager and editor Betsy Korhonen talks about the treasures of the archive and how it was developed to be accessible for all.

In a twist of fate, a team of Aalto University researchers found themselves responsible for two decades of Nokia’s best kept design secrets. Over 20,000 design objects and 959GB of born-digital files were salvaged in 2017. In January 2025, Aalto University launched the Nokia Design Archive, offering unique insight into the inner workings of a technology company that changed how we connect with the world. The open access digital archive was created by a team of transdisciplinary researchers to allow the general public a glimpse into their insights and discoveries. Holding a wealth of sketches, photographs, presentations, interviews and more, it spans the ‘golden era’ of a company that once laid claim to almost half the global market share in mobile phones.

How artistic creativity is reshaping leadership and business?

Professor Anniina Toiviainen leads the Artpreneurship research group at Aalto University. In her talk, she explores how artistic creativity can be systematically integrated into partnerships, leadership, strategy, and organizational renewal.

Artpreneurship starts from a key insight: many of today’s leadership challenges are cultural and human rather than technical. Questions of motivation, trust, identity, and meaning cannot be solved through optimization alone. They require new ways of perceiving complexity and uncertainty.

Based on applied research conducted with companies, artists and creative professionals, and international academic partners, the talk introduces arts-informed leadership as a research-based approach. Artistic creativity is framed not as expression or decoration, but as a leadership capability that expands perception, challenges assumptions, and supports long-term transformation.