FINNCARE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- President
Over the past 15 years, Amy Piekkala-Fletcher has managed projects across a variety of industries, in the private, academic and public sectors. She is currently a Construction Project Manager at Seqwater, South East Queensland's bulk water supplier. She delivers projects implemented to maintain infrastructure and to build new assets where required. She holds a Bachelor of Media and Communication, a Graduate Certificate of Integrated Water Management and a Certificate IV in Project Management. Amy is born and bred in Brisbane, of a Finnish mother and an Australian father.
Andrew Rantala-Crossman was born to a Finnish mother and Australian father in rural NSW. After completing a degree in Medicine 20 years ago, he moved to the UK to complete additional postgraduate studies in Public Health, before returning to Australia to work in Sydney and outback NSW. He has spent much of his career in general practice, including a stint with the Royal Flying Doctor's Service. More recently he has worked in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade as both the Senior and Acting Principal Medical Advisor, although has re-oriented this past year to focus on his private practice whilst maintaining some government contract work.
Andrew has a passion for clinical education and continues to examine for the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, having previously sat on their NSW Board. He has dual Australian and Finnish citizenship and brings an interesting perspective on aged care having worked as a doctor in the sector and also a care assistant whilst supporting himself through medical school. He currently resides in Canberra where he probably spends too much time wishing he was holidaying in his yet to be purchased kesämökki.
Heidi Suominen was born in Pori and migrated to Brisbane with her family in 1983. She holds Bachelor of Business (HRM) from Griffith University and Graduate Diploma of Training and Development. She has been a Graduate of AICD since 2015. She is an experienced executive, with over 30 years of experience in corporate roles, engaging and partnering with executives to deliver strategic outcomes through driving and implementing strategic human resources solutions to enable organisational transformation. Her experience ranges across listed and mutual organisations and operating at local, national and global levels most recently in the position of Chief People Officer at RACQ.
Katriina Tähkä holds a Bachelor of Arts & Bachelor of Laws and has specialised in employment law. She has more than 20 years experience advising businesses on strategic people management and resolving workplace issues. Katriina was born in Sydney to Finnish parents and is a dual citizen as are her children. Katriina has a strong commitment to her Finnish background and culture and to ensuring that all communities are inclusive of different cultures and people. Her previous Board experience was helping new migrants feel welcome in Australia.
Milka (Kettunen) Underhill is a native of Juankoski, moving to Melbourne in 2001. Milka brings to Finncare significant experience from a 20-year corporate finance career. She has worked in all aspects of financial management for privately owned, publicly listed and government business enterprises operating in consumer-centric environments. Holding a Master of Science Degree in Economics and Business Administration from Helsinki School of Economics, Milka is a Certified Practicing Accountant (CPA Australia), a Chartered Accountant (CA ANZ) and an ASIC-accredited Financial Planner in the areas of General Advice, Insurance, Managed Investments, Derivatives, Securities and Superannuation. Milka also has personal experience in advising financial evaluation and selection of aged care services.
Job Titles:
- Finance
- Member of the Board
Petra Lappalainen hails from Helsinki, Finland, but has lived in New York and Melbourne for almost 30 years in total.
Petra is a finance leader with a 20+ year track record of successfully delivering results in risk management, banking product development, management consulting, and project management.
She is passionate about:
advising businesses on identifying and mitigating financial and operational risk;
transforming businesses to embrace strategic or regulatory changes; and
developing and mentoring staff to reach their potential.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Retired Registered Nurse
Ritva Eronen is a retired Registered Nurse, Midwife and Family Care Nurse. She was born in Imatra and migrated to Australia with her family in 1969. She holds a Bachelor of Nursing, Master of Education and PhD in Health Science. She has worked in health care sector for 36 years in both tertiary and community sectors, mostly in the area of child and family health. Her passion is in research and staff development, in which roles she worked for over ten years before her retirement as a result of her husband's stroke.
As a carer of her husband during the past ten years Ritva has developed some knowledge of the aged care sector. She has gained basic understanding of dementia through completion of the units of Preventing Dementia online course at University of Tasmania. She believes that all older people deserve respect and good care, which well trained and supported staff are capable and willing to provide.
Salme Durbin (nee Laitinen) migrated to Sydney, Australia in 1958 with her parents from Lappeenranta. She currently lives at Victoria Point, Queensland.
Salme worked for BHP Coal in Brisbane as a Purchasing Supervisor. She organised, monitored and appraised the work of a team of purchasing officers and clerical staff. She also represented and advised the Brisbane Supply Department in all quality assurance matters, in accordance with BHP's Corporate Quality System and ISO 9002.
Fluent in Finnish, Salme has worked as a casual Finnish-English interpreter for On-Call Interpreters since 2005. She is a Red Cross Emergency Services volunteer. Salme was an AFRHA Board Member from 2013 - 2018, including 3 years as the Board Secretary. After resigning from the Board, she acted in the Internal Auditor role for AFRHA from 2018 to 2020, reporting directly to the Board.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Public Officer
Tero Blinnikka was born in Kajaani Finland in 1968 to his parents Erkki and Martta Blinnikka from Nurmes Finland. He emigrated to Australian in 1970 with his family as the youngest of five siblings. After a six month period living in the East Hills Migrant Hostel in Sydney' southwest, the family moved to Canberra, where Erkki started his own business as a carpenter and later a builder.
Tero completed his degree in Business Administration in 1996 from the University of Canberra, and continued his career in retail with Angus and Coote, followed by sixteen years with Westfield Holdings in marketing, four years with Queensland Investment corporation and he currently holds the position as National Manager Communication and Media with Defence Housing Australia. Tero holds a baseline security clearance with the Federal Government as a requirement of his role.
Tero has been actively involved with various Finnish groups in Australia, including Finnish language school where he also learnt to read and write Finnish, Finnish Australian Club of Canberra, Finnish Lutheran Youth group in Canberra, Revontulet Finnish Folk dancers and Finnish Society of Sydney. He has also been an active committee member of the Scandinavian Australian Association in Canberra since 2011.
Tom Ruonala was born and raised in Brisbane to Finnish parents. After completing a Bachelor of Engineering, he joined the family business to work as a Machine Operator, Production Manager, R&D Engineer, and eventually Managing Director. Uniline has grown from a small family business to an international manufacturing company and Tom currently serves as a member of the Board. He has also completed an MBA and been the Honorary Consul of Finland for over 20 years. Together in 2009, Katherine (his wife) and Tom established a non-denominational church in Brisbane, which is thriving and expanding in Australia and the USA. He is the father of 3 grown children.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of the Board
Tuula Kuusela was born and raised in Finland and relocated to Australia when she was 29, with her family. She is currently living in Sydney, where she previously worked in a children's bookstore and undertakes administration work for her family business. Tuula plays an active role in Sydney's Finnish community, including the Southern Cross Finnish Church Council and West Sydney Finnish Club. She organises fundraising functions for the Finnish Church in Sydney, and volunteers for Surf Life Saving NSW as an official. Tuula believes that all elderly people deserve quality care, and for Finns, this means care in their own language.