Event agenda

08:30 Live event start, Breakfast & Mingle

9:00-10:30 Stream begins, First part of the program

Opening remarks

• Owain Hopeaketo, Project Manager, International Experts, Tekniikan Akatemiset TEK

Understanding Canada's Migration Policies

• Julia Gurr-Lacasse, Migration Program Manager, High Commission of Canada in London

What could Finland benchmark from Canada? 

• Laura Koivisto-Khazaal, Senior Planning Officer, Uusimaa ELY-Centre

Company Case: Migration's Role in Fueling Growth

• Jari-Pekka Kaleva, Managing Director, the European game industry umbrella organisation EGDF & Chief Policy Advisor, Neogames

Guiding the Way Forward

• Ted Apter, Industrial Policy Special Advisor, Suomen Ekonomit

BREAK

10:45-11:30 Second part of program

Panel discussion: Stakeholder Perspectives on Finland 2040

• Ensuring security and opportunity for newcomers
• Strategies for attracting top talent
• Interactive Q&A session

Chair:

• Youssef Zad, Chief Economist, Finnish Startup Community

Participants:

• Alexandra Pasternak-Jackson, CEO, Amcham Finland
• Nidia Obscura Acosta, Former Chair of Aallonhuiput (doctoral student association)
• Teemu Haapalehto, Director of Immigration Affairs, City of Espoo
• Ted Apter, Industrial Policy Special Advisor, Suomen Ekonomit

Speakers

Julia Gurr Lacasse was appointed Migration Program Manager for IRCC London in August 2023. Julia is a career diplomat and has held various positions at IRCC, including Director of Permanent Resident Program Delivery, Senior Policy and Program Advisor to the Senior Assistant Deputy Minister of Operations, and Program and Policy Advisor to the Director General of International Network. She has also served as a foreign service officer in Damascus, Warsaw, and most recently in London as Deputy Program Manager from 2021 to 2023.

Julia holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Manitoba and a Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Studies from Brock University. Before joining IRCC’s Foreign Service, Julia was an Associate Lawyer in rural Manitoba.

Laura Koivisto-Khazaal is a senior planning officer at Uusimaa ELY Centre, focusing on work- and education-based immigration. Before joining the ELY Centre in 2022, Laura lived in Canada for more than 15 years and managed projects focused on immigration, entrepreneurship, and regional economic development. In her current role, Laura utilizes her knowledge of the Canadian immigration system and frequently highlights what Finland could learn from Canada.