Kaarina Koskenalusta is an internationally respected strategist, advisor, and business leader known for building global partnerships and advancing innovation across business, government, academia, and technology. For her role in Blue Venture Advisors as our Global Business Development Strategic Advisor, she works to strengthen the defense and finance ties between NATO countries and the US, from her decades of experience in organizing delegations involving government officials, business leaders, universities, and innovation organizations.
Born in Finland and having lived and worked in Finland, Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States, Ms. Koskenalusta brings a uniquely global perspective to her work. She has helped organizations expand internationally, strengthen innovation ecosystems, and connect with influential leaders and investors worldwide. Ms. Koskenalusta is widely recognized as the first woman President and CEO of The Executives’ Club of Chicago, one of the nation’s leading business forums. During her 25-year tenure, she transformed the organization from a financially struggling institution into a globally recognized leadership platform with more than 2,000 members. Under her leadership, The Executives’ Club hosted world leaders, heads of state, and global CEOs, including President George H. W. Bush, Christine Lagarde, Bill Gates, Ben Bernanke, and Jaime Dimon. She also led international trade and investment missions throughout Europe and Asia and organized major summits connecting Chicago with global markets.
She currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Illinois Institute of Technology and is a trustee of American Scandinavian Foundation in New York. She previously served as Honorary Consul for Hungary in Illinois, receiving the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary for her contributions to international relations and economic cooperation.
Kaarina holds a BS in Political Science and Government from the University of Massachusetts.
She works out of our Tampere, Finland and Chicago, IL offices.
