What sustainability skills and capabilities do business graduates need to have? Insights from OBS Sustainability Day

Oulu Business School Sustainability Day brought together educators, company representatives, and students to explore this question. The goal was to identify opportunities to connect sustainability education with real-world business needs.

The event began with a keynote speech on sustainability in a changing business environment by UNGC’s Participant Engagement Manager Paavali Koivula. Next, OBS’ educators took the stage as Senior Research Fellow Ilkka Ojansivu, Postdoctoral Researcher Alexandra Middleton, and Associate Professor Timo Koivumäki shared their insights on pedagogical approaches in the business school’s teaching from the Marketing, Accounting, and Business and Entrepreneurship perspectives.

UNGC’s Participant Engagement Manager Paavali Koivula.

All participants had the opportunity to reflect on the presentations in groups: in each group, educators, company representatives, and students explored current needs, challenges, and gaps. These findings were then discussed in a panel discussion, where UNGC’s Paavali Koivula, OBS’ Professor José-Carlos García-Rosell, R-taso Oy's Account Manager Outi Törmänen, and OBS’ IBM student Dilki Nadakandage reflected on potential solutions and future directions.

The discussions at the event raised the importance of incorporating all three dimensions of sustainability into sustainability education: environmental, social, and economic. Sustainability competences should be integrated broadly across university curricula rather than being reserved exclusively for specialists in the field. In particular, there is a need for teaching approaches that develop practical skills and professional judgement.

From left to right: Paavali Koivula, Outi Törmänen, José-Carlos García-Rosell, Dilki Nadakandage, and Zohreh Yousefi Dahka.

Interdisciplinary collaboration is key to identifying effective solutions: these solutions should be flexible, practical, and responsive to the needs of different organisations and industry sectors. Dialogue between academia and businesses is essential in responding to evolving societal and business needs.

Thank you to everyone who contributed their perspectives, experiences, and ideas!

Created 5.11.2026 | Updated 5.11.2026