Entrepreneur, innovator, creative director, executive producer, restaurateur, author, keynote speaker, olive oil producer
and right wing (in ice hockey).
Companies
World Of Mouth
CEO & co-founder
World Of Mouth is the world's most reliable restaurant guide. Recommendations are written by a hand picked group of experts and are never manipulated.
HundrED
co-founder & chair
HundrED helps schools change by seeking and sharing impactful and scalable innovations in K12 education.
Financier Group
co-founder & creative director
Financier Group is quality driven, small restaurant group based in Helsinki. Our mission is to create places that people will love for decades.
Other Activities
Nordic Business Forum
member of the board
Nordic Business Forum is one of the world's leading business seminar organizers with a mission to inspire leaders towards better leadership.
Intervisio
minority shareholder
Intervisio is an Emmy -awarded independent tv-production company based in Helsinki. Intervisio specializes in crossmedia productions, formats which combine television shows with internet and mobile communities.
Pietarinkadun Oilers
right wing, member of the board of the fund
Pietarinkadun Oilers is the leading charity ice hockey team in Finland. It has raised over 2 million euros for charity, mostly for children’s hospitals and to help children with cancer.
Keynotes
I give keynote speeches in Finland and abroad, both in Finnish and in English. Among the topics I love to talk about are:
- creativity and innovation (the basics, how to improve and manage it)
- change (how to make it happen, how to manage people in the middle of it)
- execution (how to make great things happen)
- self-management and priorities (learning to say yes and no)
- belief system (why we believe in certain things)
- positive feedback (how to and how not to)
- uncertainty (and how to cope with it)
- growth mindset (how to create one)
- lifelong learning (how to foster it)
- experiences (how to create them)
- design thinking (from first insights to prototyping)
- the future of education (how to improve our schools)
- the future of work (how to increase meaning, achievement and a sense of control)
- resilience (how to increase it in both personal and organizational level)
- sustainable growth in 2020s – why, what and how
Books
I have written 16 books.
Kuinka Idea Syntyvät
(How Ideas Are Born)
with Jussi T. Koski
The ABC of creativity both in invidual & company level.
Aglio & Olio
with Tuukka Koski and Kimmo Kivilahti
The encyclopedia of dried pasta with over 200 recipies.
Ravistettava, Omskakas
(Shaken & Stirred)
with Katja Lindroos
How your brain gets stuck on certain ways of thinking and what to do about it.
Matkanopas
(Travelguide for companies)
with Risto Kuulasmaa
Guidebook for companies that want to go international.
Basta!
with Tuukka Koski and Kimmo Kivilahti
Everything you need to know about Italian cuisine with over 200 recipies.
Työkirja
(The Workbook)
with Pekka Pohjakallio
The Fall and Rise of Office Work. The English version is available on Amazon.
A Good Life
A 100 page guidebook for having a good life.
Luova järkevyys
(Creative Cleverness)
A book against ”creative madness”, an ode to everyday creativity.
Uskonko
(I believe, don't I?)
with Annamari Heikkilä
Book about our belief systems – how they are born and what kind of role do they play in our lives.
Pizze
with Tuukka Koski and Kimmo Kivilahti
An extensive book about all kinds of pizza, shot in Naples.
Koulukirja
(School's Out)
with Martti Hellström
Why changing our schools is the world's most difficult and important task?
Juu ei
(No how)
A short book about prioritizing.
Kaikki mitä olen oppinut hyvästä ruoasta (Everything I have learned about good food)
The basics of cooking and eating well
Kaikki on hyvin (It's ok)
How to cope with uncertainty and unwanted events.
Kuinka Puut Kasvavat (How do trees grow)
What does sustainable growth in 2020s look like
(coming out in Sep 2021)
Jääkiekkokirja
(The soul of ice hockey)
with Tuomas Nyholm
Fictional interview with a fictional coach of a fictional team.
CV
Saku Tuominen founded Broadcasters, one of the most succesful Finnish independent tv production companies with Juha Tynkkynen in 1989. They sold the company twice, both times to Sweden but to different buyers, first to MTG and then to Zodiak Entertainment.
In 2009-2010 Saku Tuominen was the Chief Creative Officer of Zodiak Entertainment, the world’s 3rd largest tv production company in London.
During his 20 years in television he has produced thousands of hours of programmes and created almost 100 tv formats.
In 2009 Saku Tuominen founded Idealist Group, a production company of ideas. The mission of the company is to improve the world with bold ideas that are executed well.
At the moment he concentrates mainly on World Of Mouth, the ultimate insider's guide to the world's best restaurants. In addition to this, he is a co-founder and creative director of Financier Group, a quality driven restaurant group based in Helsinki and a co-founder and chair of education non-profit HundrED, which is improving K12 education globally through scalable education innovations.
He has been teaching creativity and innovation in Aalto University in Helsinki and has written 14 books; about innovation, the future of office work, good life, human belief systems, everyday creativity, decision making and Italian cuisine. In 2021 he was awarded with the “non-fiction author” and “the speaker of the year” -awards.
He is also a board member of Nordic Business Forum, one of the world's leading leadership events.
As a hobby he has written music criticism for over 20 years, cooks daily, produces olive oil from Piantone olives in Le Marche, Italy and has won silver medal in old timers world championship in Ice Hockey in 2009 in Quebec City, Canada.
He shares his time between Helsinki, Finland and Paterno, Italy, with Sara (an author), Siiri, (a daughter) and Hilma (a golden retriever).
Photos
Download hi-res photos.
Contact
The best way to reach me is via e-mail. saku@idealist.fi