Esa has over 30 years of experience in international business across Eastern Europe, including the former Soviet Union, Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, and Belarus.

His extensive background in the region covers privatization projects, the establishment of private investment companies, the promotion of industrial cooperation, research and development initiatives, and the management of technological transformation processes. Currently, Esa works as an independent consultant, focusing on business development projects primarily in Eastern European markets.

After completing his studies in theoretical physics in the former Soviet Union in the 1970s, Esa began his career as a physicist at Wärtsilä’s Arctic Research Centre, later serving as Marketing Director for the Soviet market at Wärtsilä, Associate Professor of Physics at Tampere University of Technology, and in leadership positions at Sitra, Finland’s state-owned investment company, where he was responsible for industrial collaboration between Finnish and Soviet enterprises.

Together with his colleagues at Sitra, Esa co-founded Sitrans Oy, a Sitra-owned company focusing on technological transformation, privatization projects, and the launch of venture capital operations in the former Soviet states. He also took part in the establishment of the Russian Technology Fund (RTF) in St. Petersburg, as well as the EBRD’s North West Russia Venture Capital Fund and its management company, Norum Oy. Following these roles, Esa served as Deputy Director for Europe at the Science and Technology Center in Ukraine (STCU) — an intergovernmental, non-profit diplomatic organization founded by the United States, Canada, the European Union, and Ukraine.