Jussi Rissanen
Sales coach, podcaster, and entrepreneur Jussi Rissanen was appointed as a professor of practice at LUT Business School on 1 February 2024. His term will continue until 2029.
Rissanen is Barona’s former sales director and the founder and CEO of Frontliners. He hosts the popular Myyntiradio podcast and was also an officer in the Finnish military. Rissanen is an LUT alumnus: he graduated in 2008 with the degree of Master of Science in Economics and Business Administration.
In the fall of 2025, Rissanen will start leading a new Executive MBA (EMBA) programme in Lahti. His appointment was made possible by a historic donation by Jalo and Anja Paananen. The Paananens donated a total of five million euros to LUT University for education and research in sales and marketing. The donation also helped establish a new sales and marketing master’s programme on LUT's Lahti campus. It will start in the fall of 2025.
Jussi Rissanen
Sami Sykkö
Media personality and MSc. (Econ. & Bus. Admin.) Sami Sykkö was appointed as a professor of practice at LUT University on 1 September 2022. His part-time position will continue until the end of 2025.
Sykkö will especially grace Lahti with his presence – a city known for its textile and furniture industries and fashion brands. His work will focus on responsible business practices and the transformation of consumer behaviour. LUT will also make the most of his expertise in developing corporate collaboration and marketing education.
Jamie Hyneman
Inventor and product developer Jamie Hyneman, also known for his work on the TV show MythBusters, was appointed as a professor of practice at LUT University on 15 November 2021.
Hyneman was awarded an honorary doctorate at LUT University in 2017. The prototype lab J. Hyneman Center (JHC) on LUT's campus in Lappeenranta was named after him. The lab is a place where students can develop new ideas and solutions to problems and build and test their prototypes. The workshop is open to all students and staff members of the university group LUT Universities.
Hyneman has been actively involved in projects at the JHC since its foundation. He has weighed in on what technology to select for the JHC and supervised student projects.
As a professor of practice, Hyneman encourages students to be innovative and supports the creation of innovations at the JHC.
Harri Koponen
Harri Koponen, M.Sc. (Tech.), has been a professor of practice at LUT University since 1 October 2018.
Koponen focuses on industrial engineering and management and establishing connections between the university and business enterprises. As an expert in digitalisation, he also promotes related research and education.
During his career, Koponen has developed ICT-enabled business both in Finland and abroad, and he has championed public-private digitalisation. Koponen aims to establish concrete forms of collaboration between businesses and LUT's experts.
Koponen is calling for the rapid renewal and updating of professional expertise throughout society, as Finnish prosperity stems from high-technology expertise and the business it enables. This can be achieved through training and life-long learning.
