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Dean Gary Marquis of the Aalto University School of Engineering named Chairman of the Board of Directors of St1 Mika Anttonen the School of Engineering Alumnus of the Year 2016 of on 16 November at Dean's Circle, an event organised for stakeholders. Anttonen is the school's first Alumnus of the Year.

Mika Anttonen is an advocate for renewable energy and has made significant investments in his search for forms of energy with low emissions to replace oil. In the middle of Otaniemi, efforts are in place to drill wells reaching a depth of seven kilometres with the aim of producing geothermal district heating. If the project is successful, it will be one of a kind in the world. Anttonen also studies the use of sawdust in producing bioethanol.

'The most efficient way to mitigate climate change is to improve the status of women in developing countries', Anttonen notes. 'Each new person born on Earth consumes a certain amount of energy during his or her lifetime. When women's level of education improves, it affects well-being and, through declining birth rates, reduces the global population rate and energy consumption.'

'The key areas of research at the Aalto University School of Engineering are linked to crucial challenges facing society, such as climate change and the availability of energy. We educate change agents with knowledge and ability to change to world to increase well-being. Mika Anttonen is an excellent example, for instance, of how societal challenges can be tackled with an open-minded attitude and courage', says Dean Gary Marquis.

'Anttonen's actions have also followed the values of Aalto University: the passion to find something new, and the courage to influence and excel', Marquis adds.

Mika Anttonen (1966) graduated as Master of Science in Technology in energy technology from Helsinki University of Technology in 1992. Already during his studies, Anttonen started working as a crude oil distributor for Neste Corporation, where he made rapid progress in his career. In 1996, he made the move to become an entrepreneur and partner at the Greenergy Baltic corporation. Currently, Anttonen is the majority owner of the fuel distributor St1 Nordic Oy and the oil refinery company St1 Group Oy, which operates in Sweden. He is the chairman of the board of directors of both enterprise groups.

Aalto University's School of Engineering appoints the Alumnus of the Year to support the school's work with stakeholders and thus promote discussion between the school and alumni with societal influence.

St1 is a Nordic energy group whose vision is to be the leading producer and seller of CO2-aware energy. The company researches and develops economically viable, environmentally sustainable energy solutions. St1 consists of two sister groups: St1 Nordic focuses on fuels marketing activities in Finland, Sweden and Norway and on renewable energy solutions such as waste-based advanced ethanol fuels and industrial wind power. The company has in total 1 450 St1 and Shell branded retail stations in Finland, Sweden and Norway. The sister group St1 Group focuses on oil refining. Headquartered in Helsinki, the company employs currently 700 people in Finland, Sweden and Norway.