Cybersecurity Professional Teemu Tiainen Named Metropolia Alum of the Year 2025: “Metropolia Has Had a Significant Impact on My Career”
Teemu Tiainen is a distinguished cybersecurity expert and business leader who emphasizes adaptability, continuous learning, and creative problem-solving as the most essential skills in today's working life.
Teemu Tiainen has been named Metropolia University of Applied Sciences' Alum of the Year 2025. He first graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Metropolia in 2011 and later completed a Master’s degree in Information and Communications Technology and Industrial Management in 2021.
“Receiving the Alum of the Year recognition is wonderful. I’m truly honored and accept it with humility. I’ve always been more of a behind-the-scenes person and not one to seek the spotlight, so this really means a lot to me,” Tiainen says.
Tiainen is the Business Lead for cybersecurity services at Elisa Corporation. He has extensive experience in producing, developing, and managing network and cybersecurity services. He has played a key role in guiding a team of nearly 100 experts, which has grown significantly and earned recognition for its expertise.
According to Tiainen, Metropolia has played a pivotal role in his career. His studies originally led to a job at Santa Monica Networks, which is now part of Elisa. Later on, he has recruited students and recent graduates from Metropolia himself, trusting the quality of its ICT education. He has also been a guest lecturer at Metropolia in topics related to his field.
“Metropolia teaches the right things and provides an excellent foundation for a professional career. The world is changing, and education today must equip people with the tools to learn new things. Learning ability, flexibility, and creative problem-solving are more important than ever. At Metropolia, I learned how to study and acquire new knowledge, solve problems, and manage projects.”
Advancing Cybersecurity Has Growing Societal Importance
The Alum of the Year is a graduate of Metropolia who is a positive and active ambassador for the university, with outstanding skills in creating solutions in their professional field. The chosen alum is someone who boldly renews their industry and builds a sustainable future through their career.
The selection is made by Metropolia’s Executive Group. The criteria include, for example, the candidate’s ability to make a meaningful impact in their field and their active engagement with Metropolia.
Metropolia’s President and CEO Riitta Konkola explains that Tiainen was chosen as Alum of the Year in part due to his work in promoting information security. The advancement of cybersecurity has a broad societal impact, both nationally and internationally, now and in the future.
“Tiainen is a respected professional in responsible cybersecurity work: his efforts support technological development that strengthens the safety of ICT services and public trust in them. He has also served on Metropolia’s ICT Advisory Board for nearly eight years and actively contributes to the development of Metropolia’s education and its alignment with working life. I warmly congratulate Teemu Tiainen on receiving this well-deserved recognition,” says Konkola.
“I Wanted to Support My Career Path by Completing a Master’s Degree at Metropolia”
Tiainen initially chose to pursue a Bachelor of Engineering degree because he already had work experience in the ICT sector, and he found networking and firewall topics particularly interesting.
“I graduated as a telecommunications engineer and worked in that field for a while. Eventually, I moved into a leadership role, which also gave me insight into the business side of the company. I wanted to support that career path by completing a Master’s degree at Metropolia,” Tiainen explains.
He specifically chose Metropolia for his Master’s studies because the program seemed interesting and could be completed flexibly alongside full-time work within a year. Based on his earlier experience with the university, he already knew Metropolia was a quality educational institution. In addition, during his Master's studies, he was able to combine industrial engineering and cybersecurity.
Tiainen says he is driven by the desire to be part of developing cybersecurity—something he believes is becoming a basic civic skill.
“Products and services must be cyber secure. I’m also passionate about promoting Finnish service expertise globally—we have world-class knowledge and services here in Finland,” Tiainen concludes.
Additional Information:
Heidi Rontu
Vice President of Education
Metropolia University of Applied Sciences
Heidi.Rontu [at] metropolia.fi (Heidi[dot]Rontu[at]metropolia[dot]fi)
Image details: Tuomas Tiainen pictured, photo by Jacky Law.