Executive Vice President Johanna Buchert appointed as President of Natural Resources Institute Finland

The Government has appointed Johanna Buchert, Doctor of Technology, to the vacant post of President at the Natural Resources Institute Finland, Luke. Buchert, who is currently Executive Vice President for Research at Luke, will start her five-year term of office as President on 10 September 2018. Mari Walls, the previous President of Luke, took up her post as President of the new Tampere University in August.

Buchert has worked as Executive Vice President at Luke since August 2015. Prior to that, she had a long career at the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd., where she held a number of different positions. Before joining Luke, Buchert worked as Vice President for Research at VTT.

National and global challenges, such as climate change, increase the need to look for and produce solutions to the sustainable use of renewable natural resources. The bioeconomy and circular economy are an opportunity for Finland. For this purpose, we need research-based information, and Luke plays a central role in producing such information. 

Luke operates under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and its President is responsible for the Institute’s operations and competitiveness. The President is also responsible for strengthening the Institute’s international role and improving the impact of its operations. Buchert has an internationally recognised reputation in research and extensive cooperation networks. These make her well suited for the post of President. In the coming years, the aim is to strengthen Luke’s financial base and expertise in particular in order to further develop the Institute’s operations and maintain good operating conditions.

“Luke plays a key role in ensuring that our valuable natural resources promote wellbeing, economic growth and nature values. This requires conducting internationally competitive research and producing solutions based on research. Luke will also in the future aim to pursue strong cooperation with businesses, strengthen its international and national cooperation networks and increase the impact of research activities,” says Johanna Buchert, the next President of Luke.

A total of 18 people applied for the post of President by the deadline of 15 June 2018.

Inquiries:
Eeva Pystynen, Director of Administration, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, tel. +358 29 516 2357, firstname.lastname@mmm.fi
Johanna Buchert, Executive Vice President, Luke, tel. +358 29 532 6663, firstname.lastname@luke.fi