INGOs shifts to take deep dive on Ukraine opportunities
In late summer 2025, Business Tampere brought on board Minna Tihinen as its new Ukraine specialist as a Project Coordinator. With roughly 25 years of experience in Ukraine and other parts of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, she is now responsible for helping companies from the Tampere region and Pirkanmaa region to engage with Ukraine’s present and post-conflict reconstruction markets.
Because Ukraine is still at war, Tihinen underscores the importance of starting preparatory work now. She highlights that sectors such as construction, infrastructure, and healthcare will be in enormous demand once reconstruction is underway. While entering the market carries risk, she argues that being proactive in building networks and understanding market demand is critical.
Tihinen does not work alone — she is supported by sector specialists within Business Tampere, and she works in concert with the Tampere & Pirkanmaa EU Office in Brussels, which assists with funding, partnerships, and EU-level advocacy. Through this kind of multi-actor cooperation, Finnish firms may be better positioned to support Ukraine’s integration into European and western institutions.
While the original article focuses on Finland–Ukraine ties, the appointment of a Ukraine specialist also resonates with broader regional cooperation in the Central Baltic area (i.e. Finland, Estonia, Sweden, Latvia) — especially via EU programmes and cross-border networks. The INGOs (Promoting Exports to International NGOs) project, under the Central Baltic programme, is one such mechanism for cross-border synergy.
Given that reconstruction and aid in Ukraine will involve numerous international organizations and NGOs, there is a natural synergy between Tihinen’s mission and the objectives of the INGOs project. Finnish and Central Baltic SMEs supported by INGOs’ network and capacity may more readily engage in supply chains, reconstruction contracts, or service delivery linked to aid and rebuilding activities in Ukraine. The shared networks, knowledge, and cross-border relationships fostered under INGOs can act as bridges for companies operating in or entering Ukraine via the Central Baltic corridor.
Tihinen’s role can thus be viewed not only in bilateral Finland–Ukraine terms, but also as part of a broader regional strategy: leveraging Central Baltic cross-border networks and EU programmes (like INGOs) to support SMEs in reaching fitting procumenents and funding mechanism for reconstruction and humanitarian markets while strengthening the region’s connectedness and relevance in post-conflict rebuilding.
