2024 Year of alignment & setting foundations

Starts studying Executive Diploma in Diplomacy at Unitar (United Nations Center for Training and Research) in Geneva, Switzerland.

Is appointed Chair of the Board of Sustinaires ry. The goal of the association is to drive ethical and sustainable digital development and to identify and agree on principles for sustainable digitalisation. There are over 100 people from various tech companies involved.

Is appointed a board member of Design and Posthumanism network. The network engages with critical posthumanism via design practices, education, and research. The network aims to critically examine design’s biases, entanglements with anthropocentric worldview and complicity in reproducing humanist ideals.

Planned and taught the first ever Planet Centric Design Thinking course for digital design students at Metropolia University of Applied Science, Helsinki in collaboration with SOK.

Coached executives on her 1:1 Executive Keynote Bootcamp for C-level leaders. See more and references.

Wrote an e-book: Keynote Workbook - The complete guide to crafting influential keynotes for a better world and launched a Keynote Bootcamp Online Course.

Completed digital development and service design project for Finnish Heritage Agency where she helped design and conceptualise a digital service for collection and information services and also for archeological services.

Launched Planet Diplomats Youtube channel and Podcast for planet centric business and lifestyle as a goal to promote sustainable practices, sustainable businesses, and to showcase innovative companies and stories that are leading the way in environmental stewardship, sustainable development, and ethical business practices.

Exhibited her abstract art paintings at Take Me Home Gallery for the first time ever, Helsinki.

2023 Digital sustainable leadership & establishing an ecosystem of sustainability professionals

Founded Planet Diplomats with a vision to make every job a climate job and became a full time entrepreneur. Established a multidisciplinary ecosystem of sustainability experts and conceptualising planet diplomacy as a form of systemic change.

Keynote speaker and moderator/host in various sustainability, digital development and service design themed events.

Taught courses in Service Design and Design Thinking for Digital Design students at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences.

Co-founded Sustinaires, a network for ethical sustainable digitalisation. Sustinaires envision a future where technology and design contribute to a thriving planet. The network strives to be at the forefront of a movement that champions sustainability and ethics in tech.

2021 Holacracy and ways of working integrated

Created a 12-day-lasting Meditation Challenge (Meditaatiohaaste in Finnish) for a major platform Supla with Dr. Emilia Vuorisalmi.

Participated in TEAL Bootcamp where she learned about self organising teams, methods and theory and took them into practise at work, Prominda, Helsinki.

Studied planet centric design and sustainability when possible.

2020 Sustainability in tech and impact of design arises

Commenced employment at ICT consultancy company Fraktio. Worked as a sustainability lead, strategic service designer, as part of a growth team and as a coach. Developed and held service design, facilitation and DEIB trainings.

2019-2020 Embodied her values through learning and teaching

Published a very popular Yoga Nidra relaxation recording on Spotify in Finnish and in English with 25 000 streams.

Taught yoga and yoga nidra sessions in two studios.

Graduated as Heartful Yoga Teacher, RYT 200, Espoo, Finland

Become vegan after visiting her mother in Australia and after an ordinary evening of grilling three different meats. Researched the impact of eating meat to health, planets health and the overall impact at a systematic level. After this visit to Australia she never ate meat again.

2018 Interconnectedness and collaboration becomes inevitable

Worked as Development Manager and Service Designer at an interior and architecture company Kohina in Helsinki. Was in charge of internationalisation project that included market research delegation in Dubai.

Created #WHYNOTISM. It is Satu Samira’s movement where she connects planetary citizenship and actions at each citizens personal level. “Whynotism is your alignment with humanity through your inner planetary citizen and action.”

Studied a course in Design and Posthumanist Perspective at University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

Joined two of Sitra’s (The Finnish Innovation Fund) Impact Bootcamps.

Participated at Rhetorich Retreat to learn public speaking and develop keynote skills with Andre Noël Chaker, My Speaker, Espoo, Finland.

Co-Founded Sisumarket, online selling platform, with 20 other people when covid hit small and micro entrepreneurs. Online platform was free for the entrepreneurs who needed it the most.

2017-2018 Human centered design and realising her true humanness

Worked as Head of Business Programme at Startup Refugees, developed and designed a programme for refugees and immigrants to establish businesses in Finland. Coordinated several pop ups. First ever hammam in Finland at Slush startup event, pop up shop at Esplanad Stage, pop up restaurants with Vantaa Church.

Satu Samira’s daughter is diagnosed with a rare muscular disease. She decides to pause her entrepreneurship and seeks for an employment through which she can make an impact.

2016 Establishing her first company and impactful network

Co-founded a womens peer-to-peer learning network Howtomo. Designed a concept and process for Howtomo trainings. Howtomo organised 170 trainings for 3000 participants in 3 years. In total the network had 200 trainers, 40 volunteers and 160 partners in 9 cities.

Founded her company Helsinki Design Company with focus on service design projects.

Performed her first paid keynote.

Studied copywriting, Copy Cure by Marie Forleo.

2014 Became a mom

Became a mom to her little queen.

2013 Systemic impact of design in paradise island, Zanzibar

Master Thesis Student in Zanzibar, Tanzania for 2 months. Developed a waste management system on the island, did research on whether service design methods can be used to solve systemic problems, and was a mentor for architecture students. Learned the power of design thinking in solving systemic problems both in social and environmental level.

SIDA Partnership Forum The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, development collaboration training in Härnösand, Sweden.

2012 First network but definitely not the last

Co-organised Green Drinks networking events with a focus on sustainability themes in Gothenburg, Sweden

2011-2013 Combining Design + Business = understanding where she could change the world

Studied Masters in Science Degree in Business and Design at University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Focus on how design as a tool and methodology can accelerate positive change and create major impact. Worked in multidisciplinary teams and understood the importance of collaboration and critical thinking in the development process.

2008-2012 Real life business school and visuals to support it

Worked as Marketing Coordinator at Cad-Q, the largest supplier of modelling and design related IT in the Nordic region, Helsinki.

Studied a Diploma in Audiovisual Communications part-time. Learned the basics of graphic design and visual content creation. Above all strengthened her ability to use visual communication as a tool to make impact. Amiedu, Helsinki.

2006-2008 International relations and recruitment

Worked as a Recruitment Consultant. Was responsible for the recruitment of British and Scandinavian nurses to Saudi Arabia. In charge of coordinating tasks to the team of recruiters and training recruitment assistants and coordinators.

Worked as an executive assistant and translator to the Ambassador at Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt for Finland and Estonia.

2006 Worked a bit here and there while studying

Worked as a Market Researcher for a couple of months while studying. Obtained information for brand, positioning, customer relationships and multi-channel strategies e.g. for Microsoft

2004-2005  Year in London: international relations & language training

Completed an internship as Marketing and Sales Administration Assistant at Oceania Development Group t/a Migration Bureau in London, UK. Assisted a team of visa consultants on migration, trade and investment activities (Australia, New Zealand and Canada). 

Practised Dutch in customer service while studying, Amsterdam.

Worked in several locations as an extra employee. Sold ice cream, collected glasses and plates in a café, as a barista and customer service person. Helsinki.

2002 Moved to Amsterdam with a big red suitcase

Studied BBA double degree, travelling back and forth annually due to the nature of the studies. Studied BBA Double Degree, European Business Administration and International Business and Management Studies, InHolland University, Amsterdam.

2000-2002 Learning discipline and teaching it through joy

Worked as a gymnastic instructor in Varkaus, Finland. Coached children for SVoLi, Finnish Gymnastics Federation, Varkaus, Finland

Worked as a circus instructor at Latuska Circus. Coached hoolahoops and acrobatics to children, in Varkaus Finland.

As a kid

1991-2002 Performing arts and repetition

Performed hoolahoops regularly at Latuska circus, practising many times per week, Varkaus, Finland.

Sang regularly in a choir with a music class, Varkaus, Finland.

2001-2002 First real job, not in the kitchen

Worked at first and only McDonalds in Varkaus, Finland. Made one burger and it didn’t work out. Was happier and more talented with customer service at the counter. 

1995-2000 Self expression and etiquette

Practised professional writing skills and diplomatic etiquette by writing funding applications for Suomi-Kuwait Friendship Association and for several international delegations to the Foreign Ministry of Finland with her father. Also participated in diplomatic and high end international relations delegations, such as visit of Kuwait Prince in Finland and a delegation visit in Kuwait.

Acted as a witch at Vekara Varkaus, children's event in Varkaus, Finland.

Had a leading female role in West Side Story musical, Varkaus Highschool, Varkaus, Finland.

1983 Satu Samira was born

Satu Samira is born in Varkaus, a small Savonian town in Finland, to a fenno egyptian family.