Professor Ingmar Björkman new rector at Hanken

Ingmar Björkman comes from Aalto University's School of Business where he worked as dean of the School in 2012-2019 and as professor of international business management since 2016. Professor Björkman has also previously been employed at Hanken between the years 1983-2011, including positions as professor and dean. He also has prior international experience from visiting positions at, among others, Stanford University in USA and INSEAD in France.

“I am delighted to return to my alma mater Hanken, from where I have so many fond memories. The School has a great reputation as a research-based business school with a strong position in Finland and highly supportive alumni. I look very much forward to working with the whole Hanken community to make sure that we offer transformational learning experiences to our students and that we continue to raise the level of ambition, relevance and impact of our research”, says professor Björkman.

Hanken's Chairman of the Board Christoph Vitzthum is pleased with the election.

“We are very happy that Ingmar Björkman with his solid experience, his strong leadership and dynamic personality chooses to return to Hanken. In the dynamic and changing world we live in, there are many opportunities but also challenges for Hanken. I am convinced that Ingmar together with his future colleagues at Hanken have the qualifications required for the next phase in Hanken's development”, states Christoph Vitzthum.

Professor Björkman would like to see Hanken continue on the path of internationalization that the university has pursued for a long time.

“While continuing to provide the necessary Swedish-speaking business expertise for the Finnish society, I also hope that we can further strengthen the international outreach of the School in the years ahead.”

Ingmar Björkman succeeds Karen Spens, who will be the new rector at BI Norwegian Business School in Norway.