Katriina Tähkä holds a Bachelor of Arts & Bachelor of Laws and has specialised in employment law. She has more than 20 years experience advising businesses on strategic people management and resolving workplace issues. Katriina was born in Sydney to Finnish parents and is a dual citizen as are her children. Katriina has a strong commitment to her Finnish background and culture and to ensuring that all communities are inclusive of different cultures and people. Her previous Board experience was helping new migrants feel welcome in Australia.

Andrew Rantala-Crossman was born to a Finnish mother and Australian father in rural NSW. A medical doctor, he has spent much of his career in general practice, including a stint with the Royal Flying Doctor’s Service. Andrew has a passion for clinical education and continues to examine for the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, having previously sat on their NSW Board. He has dual Australian and Finnish citizenship and brings an interesting perspective on aged care having worked as a doctor in the sector and also a care assistant whilst supporting himself through medical school. He currently resides in Canberra where he probably spends too much time wishing he was holidaying in his yet to be purchased kesämökki.

Anna grew up in Närpiö, Finland and lived most recently in Espoo. Anna and her family moved to Sydney in 2020 and settled on the Northern Beaches. She has a Bachelor of Commerce from Flinders University and a Masters in Economics from the Swedish School of Economics in Helsinki (Hanken). She has vast financial management and reporting experience spanning various industries such as hospitality, chemicals and telecommunications. She is currently working as Financial Controller at Altora Ag (the largest cropping producer in Australia). She is passionate about delivering value and excellence to the organisations she works with. Anna and her family enjoy travelling and visit Finland as often as possible.

Miselle Pons holds Diploma in Law (LPAB) from University of Sydney and Master of Laws (LLM) from Finland. She has extensive experience in strategic support and legal, governance and risk & compliance aspects of complex businesses. Miselle was born in Northern Finland, and moved to Sydney in 2008. She changed her career in 2022 and has since executed her dream of creating her own brand inspired by the long drink culture in Finland. She is now a passionate start-up owner of a beverage company Kippis Drinks. Miselle has served as an Executive Committee Member of Finland Australia Chamber of Commerce Inc. Miselle has twin children who were born in Finland. They are her greatest mentors in modern progressive society. Miselle and her children are dual citizens and share a strong bond with their family and roots back in Finland.

Helena was born in Tampere, Finland, however lived in Sweden for 12 years before migrating to Australia with her family. She is married to an Irishman and has two married children and two grandchildren. Helena is involved with the Finnish community, regularly attending the Finnish Pentecostal Church. She is a retired Registered Nurse with a background mainly in Critical Care nursing. Helena has gained some knowledge and experience of the aged care sector from when she worked at Finncare for five years, first as a HR and Staff Development Facilitator then Director of Care. She also served on the AHPRA Board for a few years.

Petra Lappalainen hails from Helsinki, Finland, but has lived in New York and Melbourne for almost 30 years in total.

Petra is a finance leader with a 20+ year track record of successfully delivering results in risk management, banking product development, management consulting, and project management.

She is passionate about:

• advising businesses on identifying and mitigating financial and operational risk;
• transforming businesses to embrace strategic or regulatory changes; and
• developing and mentoring staff to reach their potential.

Eija Burge was born in Helsinki, is a dual citizen and is bilingual (as are her children). She is a committed member of a number of Finnish organisations and networks in the ACT and NSW. Eija is endorsed as a clinical psychologist with the Psychology Board. She has a Masters degree in Clinical Psychology from The University of Sydney. She has more than 20 years of applied experience in public, private and not-for-profit sectors. Eija has delivered and managed psychology and workplace wellbeing programs for many different organisations. Currently, Eija is a Clinical Advisor at Ahpra (the health professions regulator).

Mirja Roti migrated to Sydney in 1974. She was a qualified cook, but decided to begin a nursing career as an Assistant in Nursing at a facility in Rooty Hill. She moved to Canberra, where she studied to become an Enrolled Nurse, and later became a qualified Registered Nurse in 2003. She worked with elderly residents in aged care settings for over 20 years, and spent the last 20 years as a neonatal nurse. Mirja enjoys working with the elderly – for a time, she was travelling a 250km round trip to provide assistance with shopping, doctors appointments and general companionship to an elderly Finnish lady. Mirja is now retired, but keeps herself busy – she loves to bake (and makes a mean ruisleipä!) and has made dozens of patchwork quilts. She travels to Finland once a year to see her 92 year old father.

Helena was born in Imatra, Finland, and came to Australia with her parents and siblings in 1969. She settled in Canberra, where she completed her schooling and nurses’ training. She is a Registered Nurse with a Post Graduate Diploma in Child and Adolescent Health. Her nursing experience is mostly in a hospital setting. Since moving to Brisbane in 1993, she has been employed by Mater Health Services in various roles: Registered Nurse, Sleep Scientist, Clinical Nurse, Clinical Nurse
Consultant and Epilepsy Nurse Specialist. She has worked in Paediatric and Adult services across the Public and Private sectors, currently co-ordinating Neurology and Neurosurgical public outpatient clinics. Helena is married and has 4 adult children and 16 grandchildren. She is interested in quality health care for the elderly and keen to maintain the Finnish language and culture in Finncare, the service the Finns fought hard to establish.