Profile of Malla Paajanen

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Malla Paajanen is the founder and director of Malla Paajanen Consulting (MPC).  She has over 20 years' experience in strategic stakeholder relations and project development and she has an enviable record in securing EU project funding in the Baltic Sea Region over many years.  From 2010 – 2013 Malla was the project manager of the Rail Baltica Growth Corridor Project (in cooperation with the City of Helsinki) which coordinated spatial and regional planning along the rail transport corridor from Helsinki/Tallinn to Berlin, including the proposed new higher speed rail connection between Warsaw and Tallinn (Rail Baltica).  In 2013 MPC was part of the winning consortium "Proximare", tasked by the European Commission with designing the work plan for the new EU Core Network Corridor "North Sea – Baltic" - one of the 9 multi-modal international transport corridors which form the basis of the new EU Trans European Transport Policy.  Malla is one of the key initiators of the stakeholder dialogue between EU authorities, businesses and public sector for Rail Baltica. Before setting up MPC, Malla worked for Aalto University's CEMAT research centre and Small Business Centre and was earlier Director of International Relations for the Helsinki School of Economics. Later she worked as Chief Adviser at Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council.  Malla graduated from Helsinki School of Economics (now Aalto University School of Business) with master's and licentiate’s degrees in economic geography.  Her interests include yoga, horse riding, skiing and keeping fit.  She has one daughter and lives in Helsinki.

List of EU funded projects involving Malla Paajanen:

BSR Access (Project Platform, Baltic Sea Region Programme)

FinEst Link (Central Baltic Programme)

NSB CoRe (Baltic Sea Region programme)

Rail Baltica Growth Corridor (Baltic Sea Region Programme)

Rail Baltic Branding (EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region Seed Money Facility)

RBGC Russia (EU Delegation to Russia)

BaltMet Promo (Baltic Sea Region Programme)

EQUAL (SOCRATES-ERASMUS Thematic network project)