Since 1997 Full Professor and Chair of Logistics at the Turku School of Economics (TSE), University of Turku, Finland. His research interests include Trade and Transport Facilitation (TTF), international logistics, maritime and port economics and transport markets. M.Sc. in 1986 in Shipping Economics, Åbo Akademi University (ÅA, Finland); Lic. Sc. with a thesis on Port Strategies 1990 (ÅA), D.Sc. in 1995 at TSE on Finnish Foreign Trade Logistics. His working experience includes appointments in the 1980s as a Coast Guard officer at the Finnish Border Guard as an anti-submarine warfare officer onboard patrol vessels, assignments in shipping companies, purser on a passenger vessel, and container shipping agencies. Lecturer in shipping economics for Master Mariner classes at Swedish Nautical College in Turku in 1983-1994, and from 2010- onwards. In 1989-1994 (acting) Associate Professor in international marketing and shipping economics at Åbo Akademi and TSE. Lecturer of logistics in 1994-1995 at Linköping University (LiU), heading a R&D program on transport markets funded by the Swedish Government and a Visiting Professor at LiU since 1996. Board Member of the state-owned ice-breaking enterprise Finstaship in 2005-2008, and of state-owned road ferry operator FinFerries from 2010 till March 2016. Since the 1990s, an expert for several International Financial Institutions (e.g. The World Bank (WB), Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank, Nordic Investment Bank) in TTF development projects in e.g. the Baltic States, Albania, all CIS states, Southern Africa, Ukraine, Greece, and in Western Balkans. Initiator and co-author of WB’s Logistics Performance Index that has been published in 2007, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016; next edition out in spring 2018. Recipient of The World Bank’s prestigious Vice President Team Award 2009. An expert on transport and logistics issues e.g. for OECD/ITF, EC, APEC, ASEF, UNECE and UNIDO. Expert on transport or maritime policy issues for Ministries of Transport in e.g. Finland, Netherlands, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Turkey and Mexico. R&D Advisory Board member in several transport agencies and logistics associations both in Finland and abroad. Invited to prepare European Commission’s Communication on Logistics, an issue raised by Finland during its EU Presidency in 2006. Member of EC’s High Level Group on Logistics in 2012-2014, an advisory group for Commissioner Siim Kallas and DG MOVE on logistics policy matters. In 2011-2012, a rapporteur for the Government of Finland on Finland’s logistical competitiveness; nominated by the Council of State. Headed the “Finland State of Logistics” national surveys in 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016 with 1,300 to 2,800 responses in each. This is the largest national database of its kind in the World. In 2010-2014, Management Committee of COST Action 1001 on Public-Private Partnerships in transport. In 2012-2015 heading the Learning Network for Trade Logistics Development with Thai, Malaysian and Vietnamese Universities, funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs Finland. Since 2006, in charge of four EU part-funded projects in the Baltic Sea Region; combined volume € 13 million: DaGoB on transport of Dangerous Goods; LogOn Baltic on logistics and ICT competence, C.A.S.H. on safety and security of international road freight transport; and HAZARD on port safety and security (in 2015-2019). DHL Lifetime Award for Most Innovative Senior Scientist in 2012, and nominated as the “Logistician of the year 2013” in Finland. Member of Finland’s Arctic Delegation in 2010-2013, appointed by the Council of State. Supervised >20 Master Mariner theses, >150 M.Sc. theses, >15 PhD theses. Acted as external examiner or opponent for >20 doctoral dissertations and as an evaluator in about 20 professorial nominations in the Nordic countries, UK and Germany. Published in e.g.: Maritime Policy and Management; Int J of Maritime Economics; Maritime Economics and Logistics(MEL); Int J of Logistics Management; Int J of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management (IJPDLM); Transportation Research Record; Transportation Research Procedia;Int J of Integrated Supply Management; Supply Chain Management – an Int. Journal; System Dynamics Review; Int J of Consumer Studies; Int J of Services and Operation Mgmt; Production Planning & Control; Int. J of Value Chain Mgmt; Int J of Technological Learning, Innovation and Development; Strategic Outsourcing: an Int. Journal; Int J of Logistics – Research and Applications; Int J of Production Economics; Int J of Business and Systems Research; Baltic Journal of Mgmt; WJEB J of East-West Business; J of Cleaner Production; Int Business Review; and Utilities Policy. He has been a Member of editorial (advisory) Board, or Editor in several such journals, such as IJPDLM and MEL, and is currently Editor of Logistics Research. >100 reports on logistics, port & maritime economics.