Maija Itkonen

Maija Itkonen is an accomplished industrial designer, brand builder, design manager, tech enthusiast, and entrepreneur based in Helsinki, Finland. She has extensive experience working with large and small businesses, as well as academia in the fields of innovation, product design, user-centered product/service development, creative entrepreneurship, and design business.

Itkonen earned a Master of Arts in Industrial and Strategic Design from the University of Art and Design Helsinki and studied International Design Business Management at Helsinki School of Economics. She also holds a degree in Product Development from Aalto University School of Science and Technology.

Itkonen is currently the Chief Innovation Officer at Gold&Green Foods Ltd, a food tech company that produces plant-based protein products. She established the company in 2015 along with her co-founder and served as CEO before taking on her current role. Previously, she held leadership positions at Powermat and Powerkiss, where she was VP of Design and Brand and CMO, respectively. She is also the former IDBM-industry project member at Vaisala, among other roles.

Itkonen's design thinking approach, innovation, strategy, and leadership skills have resulted in numerous awards, including the Innovation Leader 2010 Award at Microsoft. She is an innovative challenger, strategic thinker, and self-driven solution builder, interested in design and technology trends, mainly in the field of hardware/software products, food tech, service design, and brands.