Our Management Team

Blaine Taylor

CEO

Blaine was born and educated in America with a Master’s in School Leadership and a B.S. in Psychology. He has 15 years’ experience as an ECEC teacher in four different countries. He has developed educational programming for private schools in Moscow and Kuwait before moving to Finland where he specialized in creating English language programming.

In his educational studies he focused mainly on the use of technology in early learning environments as well as on second language acquisition.  He is currently working at a preschool in Turku which emphasizes learning through play where he is creating a new English language program. There he focuses on art as a medium for expression and communication between children. He is currently planning to further his education towards a PhD in Education.

Irene Karpadaki

Educational Consultant, Director of European and Counseling Services

Ireneis an Educational Specialist, with a BA in Primary Education and Teaching Sciences (her thesis was specialized in Intercultural Education and Inclusion) and a M.Sc. in Educational Psychology and Counselling from the University of Derby in England.

Her research on different educational systems, approaches and methods and her restless thirst for learning and development, lead her to travel to Finland in search for the best educational methods applied today in the world. She completed her internship as a Researcher at the University of Eastern Finland in Education and Psychology and her passion is consulting and training adults to transmit the knowledge and skills she has learned in her educational journey. She is also a writer of storybooks for children and she has been trained in Montessorian education. She is specialized in interculturalism, inclusion, equity, interpersonal relationships, emotional education and Mindfulness in education.

Johanna Mittilä

Educational Consultant, Director of South American Services and ESL

Johanna is originally from Guatemala but has lived and worked in Finland for many years.  She has two Bachelor’s Degrees, one in Education and the other in Business Administration.  She has also furthered her education with a Master’s Degree from the Hanken School of Economics.  She founded ART&CLASS academy in Guatemala which specializes in various educational services throughout Central America.

 Johanna has decades of experience in international school settings in over 10 countries.  She seeks to promote sustainability in her work and seeks to better the world through curricular development towards a brighter future.  She hopes to pursue this vision in her work with Finhow.

Minna Björkman

Director, Education and Development

Minna is the co-founder of Finhow and a genuine entrepreneur, and she has been so most of her life. She is also a psychologist, educator, head-master and a work councelor.

Minnas heart beats for the children of the world, as well as for those here at home. Her passion is to make a Kindergartens and Pre-schools a place where the children really can thrive.