Simo Kekäläi­nen – Host / Mod­er­a­tor

Simo Kekäläi­nen is a high­ly expe­ri­enced Finnish mod­er­a­tor with over a decade of expe­ri­ence and more than 500 events under his belt—from major pub­lic cel­e­bra­tions to pan­el dis­cus­sions, livestreams, and inter­na­tion­al busi­ness forums.

Rec­og­nized for his quick wit, warm pres­ence, and ver­sa­tile style, Simo has appeared on TV quiz shows and voice-act­ed in com­mer­cials, earn­ing him the nick­name “Oulu’s David Atten­bor­ough.” He is a trust­ed pro­fes­sion­al for orga­ni­za­tions rang­ing from Nokia to the City of Oulu and Finland’s Min­istry of Edu­ca­tion and Cul­ture.

Simo serves as the chair­per­son of the Polar Bear Pitch­ing Asso­ci­a­tion, a glob­al­ly renowned event where entre­pre­neurs pitch their ideas while stand­ing in ice-cold water—showcasing Finnish resilience, cre­ativ­i­ty, and bold­ness. His unique abil­i­ty to con­nect with audi­ences across cul­tures makes him a nat­ur­al ambas­sador for Finnish inno­va­tion and edu­ca­tion abroad.

Simo is excit­ed to bring the spir­it of Oulu to Japan through inspir­ing and mem­o­rable engage­ments in Tokyo, in Osa­ka, and at the Osa­ka-Kan­sai World Expo.