Ari Aalto (Lic. Tech.) will start as Vice President for Safe and connected society research area at VTT on 15 January 2024. Aalto will be transferring from his position as Vice President of VTT’s Mobility and transport research area where he served since 2021. He has extensive expertise in telecommunications and over 25 years of management experience in international organisations.
Ari Aalto will step into the role of Vice President of VTT's Safe and connected society research area at the beginning of 2024. The key research themes of the research area relate to situational awareness, secure and reliable communications, 5G and beyond networks, cyber security, encryption and remote sensing.
Aalto has a solid telecommunications background: until 2011, he worked with Nokia, resulting in a stretch of over 20 years. After this, he moved to Accenture, working in sales teams and project management for telecommunications and public safety sector, as well as in the role of COO. Next, he took a leadership role at establishing a new product development unit for Tecnotree Oyj, focusing on products for teleoperators. Since 2017, he worked with Tietoevry. First, as Vice President of the business units Automotive and smart devices and Connectivity and transport, and later in the role of CTO for Tietoevry Product Development Services. Since joining VTT in 2021, he has been working as Vice President of Mobility and Transport research area.
Aalto finds the new research themes associated with his new role exciting and meaningful. ‘In the current world we are living, this is a highly significant research area right now. VTT is tackling challenges critical for our future,’ Aalto says. ‘VTT is conducting research that aims at a better communication infrastructure and a safer society. Simultaneously, we are also developing the competitiveness of Finnish companies by creating new business opportunities. It is amazing to be a part of this process.’
In the new role, Aalto recognises several familiar elements from his previous tasks within VTT's Mobility and transport research area. ‘The transport sector is currently undergoing three extensive transitions: electrification, increasing level of automation and connectivity in vehicles and introduction of new digital services. Secure and reliable telecommunication solutions are critically important to success of this kind of new vertical solutions.
