WHO’S ON BOARD

We're a diverse, multicultural and multidisciplinary crew of thinkers and doers. Our fields of expertise range from the restaurant industry, audio and graphic design to service design, design education, art, video production and technology.

Together we are here to empower change agents through design-led and blended learning experiences to master:

wicked problems, teamwork, and change.

Our Core Team

Miikka “Manta Ray”
J. Lehtonen

Strategic and Societal Design

Hi! In Nordic Rebels, I am known as Manta Ray. In addition to my work at Nordic Rebels, I also work as an associate professor at Rikkyo University College of Business (Tokyo, Japan) where I teach courses that mostly deal with teaching about design to non-designers. What drives me is to help people broaden their thinking from scientific / rational approaches to more design-driven explorations. I strongly believe we need both approaches not only to solve pressing societal and environmental problems but also to thrive and live a meaningful life. My approach to learning is also strategic: no one-off sticky note exercises but meaningful interventions that transform people and organizations.

Katharina “Koala.K”
Schilli

Organizational Change

Hello and welcome to our website! I’m Katharina and share Nordic Rebel’s passion for empowering people to tackle the small and grand challenges we are facing. My approach blends the power of business and design, and bridges the gap between theory and practice. I apply these synergies into research, teaching, and organizational change projects, with the goal to strategically scale new ways of working. I am currently working on my doctoral dissertation at the University of Turku School of Business.

Adithya “Armadillo”
Varadarajan

Design Thinking & Entrepreneurship

Hello! I’m Adithya, also known as “Adi” or “Armadillo”. Nordic Rebels helps channel my passion to enable people to take on the complex challenges of our time by combining elements of design, problem framing, research, strategy, entrepreneurship, foresight, and ethics. I enjoy teaching these by developing courses with engaging learning experiences and opportunities to learn by doing.

I currently work as a Lead Designer at Finnair, designing the digital user experience and customer journeys, and have a background in UX and Strategic Design. Previously, I’ve spent many years as a design consultant working across a diverse range of domains and environments.

Simo “Seal” Lehtovirta

Strategic Marketing Advisor

Hello! I am Simo “Seal” Lehtovirta. I am the Strategic Marketing Advisor of Nordic Rebels. I work mostly with developing the Nordic Rebels brand and its surrounding culture. I also contribute to the development of the types of services we provide and how we reach out to people and organizations about what we do.

I am also a Doctoral Researcher in Marketing at Aalto University, focusing on research topics related to responsibility in marketing. Overall, my work deals with customer experience, cultural strategy, and environmental, societal, and governance perspectives to sustainability. Gender equality is a central theme in my work.

Ayaka “Antelope” Yamada

Strategic Service Designer

Hello! I am Ayaka “Antelope” Yamada, based in Japan. I am the Strategic Service Designer of Nordic Rebels.

I have acquired design experience in several countries, including Japan, the United states, and Finland. Through working hard in different cultural environments, I have learned that we need to carefully examine what really matters without relying merely on common sense. I have also realized that a problem cannot be solved unless we find the fundamental issues through mutual understanding. It is important for me to continue to learn about design, research, and strategy in the work that I do. I am looking forward to our discussions on our potential shared projects and how they can help your team forward!