Mika Aaltonen

Mika Aaltonen
Born	(1965-11-16) November 16, 1965 Turku, Finland
Occupation(s)	Expert in future studies, retired professional footballer, associate professor
Years active	1982–1994 (football)
Known for	Foresight and complexity studies, Finnish national football team player

Mika Aaltonen (born 16 November 1965) is a Finnish expert in future studies and a retired professional footballer who operated primarily as an attacking central midfielder. He has been capped by the Finnish national team and earned a doctorate in economics. Aaltonen holds the position of associate professor with a focus on Foresight and Complexity, established the Helsinki Chapter of the Royal Society of Arts, and contributes as a member of the editorial boards for both the European Foresight Journal and E:CO (Emergence: Complexity and Organisations).

Playing career

Between 1982 and 1994, Aaltonen competed professionally across several countries including Finland, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and Israel. His club career featured stints at Turun Palloseura, Inter Milan, AC Bellinzona, Bologna, Hertha BSC, Hapoel Be'er Sheva, and Tampereen Pallo-Veikot. Throughout this period, he secured numerous domestic honors: one championship title, two silver medals, one bronze medal, and a Finnish Cup victory; additionally, he earned a bronze medal in the Israeli league and was part of Hertha Berlin’s squad that won the Second Bundesliga. Persistent ankle issues led to his early retirement from football, allowing him to concentrate on academic advancement culminating in a Ph.D. in economics.

At the age of 21, following impressive performances in Finland’s top league and with the under-21 national team, Aaltonen signed a three-year deal with Inter Milan. He appeared in one friendly match for Inter alongside notable figures such as Trapattoni and Zenga. A defining moment in his playing career was scoring against Italian goalkeeper Walter Zenga during the 1987 UEFA Cup fixture between Turun Palloseura and Inter Milan at San Siro—this goal played a key role in facilitating his subsequent transfer to Inter.

Later career

Aaltonen has held visiting researcher roles at prestigious institutions including the London School of Economics (United Kingdom), the Conservatoire national des arts et métiers (France), and the Gregorian University (Italy).

He is a co-founder of PORT 2.0 Ltd., a company dedicated to pioneering sustainable, safe, and efficient solutions in designing and constructing logistics facilities for nearshore and onshore operations.

Currently, Aaltonen leads Sustainable Nation Group as chairman, an organization committed to advancing analytical methods aimed at addressing climate change transformations.

His scholarly output includes 16 books and over 100 articles covering topics such as foresight methodologies, complex adaptive systems, decision-making processes, and societal transformation.

Personal life

Aaltonen lives in Helsinki. Originally from Heideken in Turku, he wed at Turku Cathedral and has been recognized as alumnus of the year at Turku School of Economics. He is also honored as a hall of fame player by FC Turku (TPS).

His son Anton Aaltonen pursues a professional football career with FC Inter Turku.

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
TPS	1982	Mestaruussarja	3	0			—		3	0
	1983	Mestaruussarja	9	1			—		9	1
	1984	Mestaruussarja	18	1			—		18	1
	1985	Mestaruussarja	17	1			1	0	18	1
	1986	Mestaruussarja	19	3			—		19	3
	1987	Mestaruussarja	20	8			4	3	24	11
	Total		86	14			5	3	91	17
Inter Milan	1987–88	Serie A	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	1988–89	Serie A	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Bellinzona (loan)	1987–88	Swiss Super League	14	3	—		—		14	3
Bologna (loan)	1988–89	Serie A	3	0	—		4	1	7	1
Hertha BSC	1989–90	2. Bundesliga	12	0	2	0	—		14	0
TPS	1990	Veikkausliiga	11	2	—		2	0	11	2
	1991	Veikkausliiga	32	2	—		—		32	2
	1992	Veikkausliiga	16	0	—		1	0	17	0
	1993	Veikkausliiga	28	3	—		—		28	3
	Total		87	7	0	0	3	0	90	7
Hapoel Be'er Sheva	"1993–94"	"Liga Leumit"	"0"|"colspan=2"|"—"|"colspan=2"|"—"|"14"|"0"

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Appearances	Goals
Finland	1988	3	0
	1989	2	0
	1990	3	1
	1991	0	0
	1992	0	0
	1993	2	0
	1994	8	0
Overall total		18	1

International goals

Data current as of match played 15 February 1990. Finland's score is shown first; the score column reflects the match score immediately following each Aaltonen goal.

Mika Aaltonen's international goals

No.	Date	Location	Opponent	Score after goal	Final result	Match type
1	15 February 1990	Mohammed Al-Hamad Stadium, Hawally, Kuwait	Template:Fb	1–0	1–0	Friendly

Books

• Organisational Complexity (2003), co-authored with Auli Keskinen & Eve Mitleton-Kelly, FFRC Publications.
• Complexity as a Sensemaking Framework (2005), alongside Theodor Barth, John L. Casti, Eve Mitleton-Kelly & Irene T. Sanders, FFRC Publications.
• Robustness – Anticipatory and Adaptive Human Systems (2010), Emergent Publications.
• Mr & Mrs Future. Five Big Questions (2012), written with futurist Rolf Jensen, shortlisted by SEFE for best economic book, Talentum.
• The Renaissance Society (2013), collaboration with Rolf Jensen, McGrawHill.
• Crossroads. Transformations on the road to 2040 (2015), co-authored with analyst Michael Loescher, Aalto University.
• The Third Lens. Multi-ontology Sense-making and Strategic Decision-making (2016), 2nd edition, Routledge.
• Tomorrow's Society – Conditions for Well-being (2019), AlmaMedia.
• Artificial Intelligence – Man and Machine (2020), AlmaMedia.
• Education in the 2020s. Hope, and Where It Comes From (2021), Edukustannus.

Articles

• Circular Cause, Time and Narrativity. International Journal of Management Concepts and Philosophy. Vol. 2, No. 3, pages 183–193, (2007).
• Chronotope space – Managing complex trade-offs between strategic landscape properties and time frame. Foresight. Vol 9, No 4, pages 58–62, (2007), recipient of Emerald LiteratiNetwork Highly Commended Award.
• Future's Education. A Multi-ontology Approach. In: Thinking About the Future. Strategic Anticipation and RAHS. Singapore National Security Coordination Secretariat, pages 31–40, (2008).
• Evaluation and Organization of Futures Research Methodology – Version 3.0. Futures Research Methodology – Version 3.0, The Millennium Project Publication (2009).
• Emergence and Design in Foresight Methods, European Foresight Platform Brief No. 180 (2010).
• Knowledge, Time-space Contexts and Management, Philosophy of Management. Vol. 10, No 3, pages 79-85, (2011).
• Arctic Storm. Transformation in Transportation and the Emergence of Finland in the World Stage (2013), with analyst Michael Loescher, Lapland Publication.
• A Manifesto for a Sustainable Planet (2015), co-written with Shell scenario planner Ian Dunlop & UN Policy Planning Chief Tapio Kanninen; foreword by President Tarja Halonen; Helsinki Sustainability Center Publications.
• The Future of Facilitation. Leadership, Influence and Impact in Disruptive Times, with facilitator Paolo Martinez, IAF Publication (2021).
• Brave New World. Transformations in Transport, and the Consequences They Entail, Finest Bay Area Development/Smart City Innovation Cluster Publication (2023).

Sources

• Jalkapallon Pikkujättiläinen (WSOY 2003)
• The Royal Society of Arts Journal, August 2007
• La Gazzetta dello Sport, 7 September 2019