It is with the greatest regret that we had to take note of the passing of our AASE Advisory Board member Liisa Kairisto-Mertanen in early August 2020.
Liisa started her academic career in Salo Business School at 1990 where she acted as lecturer, Degree Programme Manager and Vice-Rector. Salo Business School later merged to Turku University of Applied Sciences (TUAS).
From 2004 to 2017, Liisa made a long and prosperous career as Dean of Faculty of Technology, Environment and Business at TUAS. As dean, Liisa merged and mixed open-mindedly technical and business studies and degree programmes to new entities. Liisa was also nominated as first Executive Lecturer in the history of Finnish UASs. She was an energetic and proactive reformer; and she led TUAS though many challenging changes and renewed TUAS´ pedagogy largely during her career. She was one of the most important and relentless persons when Innovation pedagogy was taken as primary approach in TUAS. Her works meaning for TUAS and on national level was rewarded, when Liisa was honored with the ‘Knight of the Order of the Lion of Finland’ decoration in 2016.
From the very beginning in 2014, Liisa was also one of the most fervent supporters of the Academic Association of Sales Engineering AASE. She contributed with ideas and expertise to our association and always promoted the idea of an integrated combined Sales Engineering education based on strong technical and commercial skills. Since May 2019, Liisa was member of the AASE Advisory Board.
Our thoughts are with her husband and family. We’ll miss her energy and enthusiasm, and we’ll never forget her. Rest in peace.