Leena Alanko

Leena is our go-to person for developing Demos Helsinki’s sales processes, ensuring that new opportunities both align with our societal impact goals and meet the needs of our partners and clients. She is passionate about reducing health inequalities, promoting the wellbeing of people and the planet, and clarifying the role of civil society in an evolving world.

At Demos Helsinki, Leena has several years of experience leading projects that focus on shaping visions, strategic goals, policy recommendations, and innovative solutions to improve citizen wellbeing. Recently, she contributed to the EKO SOTE project, where the team developed national ecologically sustainable goals and governance mechanisms for Finland’s social and healthcare sector. She has also investigated the future roles of civil society and voluntary work and the responsibilities of municipalities and wellbeing service counties in fostering a thriving civil society in several projects for Finland’s Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

Leena also brings extensive experience in team leadership and supervision. She joined Demos Helsinki in 2016 and served as Director of Innovation and Advocacy at the Deaconess Foundation from 2023 to 2024. She holds a Master’s degree in Sociology and firmly believes in the transformative power of art and culture to enhance wellbeing. Alongside her work at Demos Helsinki, she has led socially engaged art projects for women affected by homelessness and serves on the award committee for the Kalevi Jäntti Foundation, which grants literary awards to young Finnish authors.

In her spare time, Leena enjoys participating in and creating quizzes on a wide range of topics. For her, ice bathing is the ultimate way to ensure a restful night’s sleep.