Hanna Lehtimäki

Hanna Lehtimäki is a Professor of Innovation Management at the Business School, University of Eastern Finland. She serves as Director of the Research Center for Sustainable Circular Economy (CECE) and Vice Director of the UEF strategic research community Sustainable Resource Society: Circular Economy, Energy and Raw Materials (RESOURCE RC). Her work bridges innovation management, strategic leadership, and sustainability transitions through transdisciplinary research with social impact.

• Key Roles: Director of CECE, Vice Director of RESOURCE RC, Leader of Sustainability Leadership Master’s Programme
• Research Focus: Circular Economy, Strategic Management, Arts-Based Methods, Stakeholder Theory, Responsible Business

Her recent research explores socio-cultural dimensions of circular economy in industrial ecosystems, art-driven sustainability transitions, and multi-level governance of critical materials for electric mobility. As a project leader, she manages initiatives like PlasticsCircularity (Business Finland), CE4ALL (EU Just Transition Fund), and GOVERMAT (Research Council of Finland).

She co-edited Art and Sustainability Transitions in Business and Society (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024) and Circular Plastics Economy: A Multidisciplinary Perspective (Elsevier, 2025). Her teaching includes Corporate Governance and Social Sustainability and the International Master’s in Sustainable Leadership.