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Dezeenwire: former Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo has been appointed as chairman of the committee for World Design Capital Helsinki 2012. See press release below.

Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo to lead World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 Committee

Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo has been appointed chairman of the committee tasked to support the World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 project. The appointment is the first accepted in Finland by the former president and CEO of Nokia Corporation after his term ended at Nokia.

The committee, consisting of 45 opinion leaders and specialists from various sectors of society, supports the management and board of the World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 project, offering them broad-based social perspective.

“World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 is a unique opportunity with a broad social interface that already stems from the project’s foundations,” says Committee Chairman Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo. “We are all committed to offering our expertise to support the project’s decision making.”

The committee was appointed by International Design Foundation, which is the management organization of the World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 project, the project’s owners, that is, the cities of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Kauniainen and Lahti, and the participating universities. The committee, which will convene three times a year, was established in December 2010. The committee’s term will extend to spring 2013.

“The committee’s first meeting in December was promising,” says Tero Vähäkylä, Chairman of the Board of International Design Foundation. “The meeting was marked by active participation, lively discussion and inspired commitment. The discussions especially focused on the cities’ role in the project and the long-term effects of the World Design Capital year.”

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