The newly elected Council of the Academic Engineers and Architects in Finland TEK has selected Arto Timperi, a Doctor of Automation Technology, to continue as the Chair of TEK’s Board. The decision was made at the Council’s inaugural meeting in Helsinki on Friday, 11 September. Timperi is a serial entrepreneur and holds a doctorate in automation technology. He represents the Council group Unity and Teekkari Spirit (Yhtenäisyys ja teekkarihenki).
“During my career, I have had the opportunity to work both in large international corporations and in small and medium-sized enterprises. I have also been involved in founding several companies of my own. I have gained international experience through working in the Netherlands, the United States, Sweden and Germany,” he says.
Timperi has been a member of TEK since his very first year as a student. He is now beginning his sixth term as a council member. During the outgoing council term, Timperi served as Chair of the Board after the previous Chair, Mari-Leena Talvitie, was appointed Minister of Science and Culture.
Timperi wants TEK to offer services that members genuinely identify with and value, while also acting as an influential voice in society.
According to the Chair, TEK is doing well. It is a versatile, financially sound and trusted association that more than 85,000 members choose to belong to. Research shows that TEK enjoys an excellent reputation. Its services are widely used by members. There are, however, areas that require further development. Challenges remain in representativeness and internationalisation.
“We must strengthen TEK’s representativeness so that as many people as possible who meet the membership criteria choose to join. Our goal is to continue growing our membership and surpass the milestone of 100,000 members. We must also increase TEK’s societal impact. It is important to ensure that our national expertise remains internationally competitive,” Timperi says.
This autumn, nearly 4,700 students have joined TEK, bringing the total membership to 86,000.
“It is worth joining TEK right at the beginning of your studies, because TEK looks after members’ interests, provides training and development opportunities at every stage of life, and offers excellent networking opportunities. TEK supports its members from the start of their studies throughout their careers, and beyond,” Timperi reminds us.