Hanna Lehtimäki

Hanna Lehtimäki (Ph.D., Title of Docent), is a Professor of Innovation Management at the University of Eastern Finland Business School. Her research examines sustainable innovation with theoretical frameworks on strategic management, leadership, ecosystems and entrepreneurship. Her current research focuses on transition to sustainable circular economy. Her articles have appeared in academic journals internationally and she has authored and co-authored books on strategic management and leadership.

Hanna Lehtimäki (Ph.D. Bus Econ) is a professor of Innovation Management in Business School and a Director and Founder of Research Center for Sustainable Circular Economy (CECE) since 2023 at the University of Eastern Finland. She and her research team, SunLab, advance transdisciplinary social sciences research and societal impact in sustainable circular economy transition. In her capacity as a Vice Director of UEF strategic research community Sustainable Resource Society: Circular Economy, Energy and Raw Materials (RESOURCE RC), she advances multidisciplinary social sciences research agenda for sustainability transition in business and society.

She is an experienced research project leader. Currently she leads a work package in a research consortium Partnership model – plastic circularity funded by Business Finland, a development project Circular economy microcredentials (CE4ALL) funded by EU Just Transition Fund, Northern Savo and Northern Karjala Regional Funds, and a research project Leading Regenerative Circular Economy (LEADSUS) funded by the Finnish Foundation for Economic Education. She was a a work package leader in Research Council of Finland funded research project Multi-level governance of critical materials for future electric mobility (GOVERMAT) 2022-2025, vicePI and a work package leader in an Academy of Finland Strategic Research Council project Circular Economy Catalysts: From Innovation to Business Ecosystems (CICAT2025) (2019-2023) and a leader in Finnish Indian research consortium Circular Economy Solutions for Microplastics: Indo-Finnish Scientific Collaboration for Innovation (CESMI) (2022-2024).

She is also active in advancing sustainability education in her capacity as a leader of Sustainability leadership international Master’s programme at the UEF Business School. She supervises doctoral researchers and serves as a supervisor in the doctoral education pilot Sustainability Transformations (SusTra) funded by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture.”

Her research has appeared in journals internationally and she has recently co-edited books on art and sustainability and catalyzing sustainable circular economy. The recent edited books are:

Ghosh, Pooja, Carrasco-Navarro, Victor, Lehtimäki, Hanna (Eds.) (2025). Circular Plastics Economy: A Multidisciplinary Perspective. Elsevier.

Lehtimäki, Hanna, Taylor, Steve, Galvão-Lyra, Mariana (Eds.) (2024). Art and Sustainability Transitions in Business and Society. Theoretical Insights and Engagement. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-3-031-44218-6. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-44219-3

Lehtimäki, Hanna, Aarikka-Stenroos, Leena, Jokinen, Ari, & Jokinen, Pekka (Eds.) (2023). The Routledge Handbook of Catalysts for a Sustainable Circular Economy. Routledge. ISBN 9781032212449.