Lenita Airisto
Encyclopedia
Hymmi Lenita Aulikki Airisto (born 1 January 1937 in Helsinki
, Finland
) is a Finnish business leader
, promoter of Finnish industrial and cultural export
s, TV journalist and author.
, nominated by the Disabled War Veterans' Association of Finland. Her duties involved raising funds for the rehabilitation of men, who had been severely wounded in the Winter War
and Continuation War
in the late 1930s and early 1940s, to help them return to a normal life.
degree from the Hanken School of Economics in Finland, and studied TV journalism at the BBC
and ITV
studios in London
, with RTF
in Paris
and with German TV channels in Hamburg
, Munich
and Berlin
. Airisto also studied at Stanford University
in California
. Her studies concluded with practical experience at various TV studios in Los Angeles
, including an internship with the show of Steve Allen
. He also asked her to join him live on air to tell American TV viewers about Finland and Finns on the NBC
channel.
.
, for insufficient language skills.
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
) is a Finnish business leader
Business magnate
A business magnate, sometimes referred to as a capitalist, czar, mogul, tycoon, baron, oligarch, or industrialist, is an informal term used to refer to an entrepreneur who has reached prominence and derived a notable amount of wealth from a particular industry .-Etymology:The word magnate itself...
, promoter of Finnish industrial and cultural export
Export
The term export is derived from the conceptual meaning as to ship the goods and services out of the port of a country. The seller of such goods and services is referred to as an "exporter" who is based in the country of export whereas the overseas based buyer is referred to as an "importer"...
s, TV journalist and author.
Maiden of Finland
Airisto began her public career in 1954, when she became Maiden of FinlandSuomen Neito
Suomen Neito is a traditional Finnish beauty contest. The most prestigious beauty contest in Finland, however, is Miss Suomi ....
, nominated by the Disabled War Veterans' Association of Finland. Her duties involved raising funds for the rehabilitation of men, who had been severely wounded in the Winter War
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
and Continuation War
Continuation War
The Continuation War was the second of two wars fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II.At the time of the war, the Finnish side used the name to make clear its perceived relationship to the preceding Winter War...
in the late 1930s and early 1940s, to help them return to a normal life.
Education
Working as a fashion model gained Airisto the financial means for pursuing academic studies in Finland and abroad. She earned a Master of ScienceMaster of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degree from the Hanken School of Economics in Finland, and studied TV journalism at the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
studios in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, with RTF
RTF
RTF may stand for:* Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française, France's national public broadcasting organization between 1949 and 1964* Reader talks first, in RFID, the situation where the interrogator or reader initiates the session with the RFID tag...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and with German TV channels in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
and Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. Airisto also studied at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Her studies concluded with practical experience at various TV studios in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, including an internship with the show of Steve Allen
Steve Allen
Steve Allen may refer to:*Steve Allen , American musician, comedian, and writer*Steve Allen , presenter on the London-based talk radio station LBC 97.3...
. He also asked her to join him live on air to tell American TV viewers about Finland and Finns on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
channel.
Career
Airisto had a career as a TV journalist for over 30 years, and she has appeared on more than 300 prime time current affairs shows over the years. She has also produced, designed and carried out export promotions for both individual companies and the export industry in general all around the world, the first promotion campaigns aimed at the international media and customers taking place in the 1960s. Airisto has also given lectures based on her several books at universities, schools of economics and other academic educational institutions for many years.Accolades
In 2008, Airisto's influence in Finland was verified by a survey commissioned from Taloustutkimus - she ranked among the ten most influential women in the country. Airisto has also been nominated as Woman of the Year and decorated with the Knight, First Class of the Order of the Lion of FinlandOrder of the Lion of Finland
There are three official orders in Finland: the Order of the Cross of Liberty, the Order of the White Rose of Finland and the Order of the Lion of Finland . The President of Finland is the Grand Master of all three orders. The orders are administered by boards consisting of a chancellor, a...
.
Other
Airisto is a very public figure who often has been an opinion-maker in even very mundane things, such as style and etiquette. She is arguably best known to the public for having made wearing tennis socks with a suit socially unacceptable in Finland in the 1980s, a practice that up to then was a common practice for Finnish businessmen abroad. Later she has among other things criticized politicians, such as Matti VanhanenMatti Vanhanen
Matti Taneli Vanhanen is a Finnish politician. He is a former Prime Minister of Finland and a former Chairman of the Centre Party. In the second half of 2006 he was President of the European Council. In his earlier career he was a journalist...
, for insufficient language skills.