Please describe your Vabamu journey so far. What brought you here and what do you enjoy most about being Vabamu’s CEO?

I have a long history in working in the Estonian museum field. Vabamu has always seemed as one of the most dynamic, open-minded and brave small museums in Estonia, that has a big impact and strong mission. I joined Vabamu almost five years ago as a COO and have been in the position of CEO for two years and I guess I could say that curiosity brought from here: as I was previously working in a big state-founded foundation type of a museum, I wanted to see how it would be to run a private museum in Estonia.

What is Vabamu for you and how has it changed in the past years?

Vabamu`s role for me is constantly changing due to how relevant the topic of freedom is in the society. For us, it is very important to stay in connection to what is happening in Estonia and in the world and last years have shown that Vabamu`s mission is more relevant than ever: we can`t take freedom for granted, we have to remember what has happened to us in the past and how can we use this knowledge for the benefit of Estonia today.

What does Vabamu Global Conversations mean to you?

Global Conversations for me is all about our friends abroad. As a small country, we can never become big in regards to our size and number of population. But we can be big in the number of friends we have abroad. To have strong cultural, political and economic global networks is a way to prevent history from repeating itself: this way we can never be alone again. And through Global Conversations we are building these networks and keeping a lot of friends of Estonia and Vabamu connected to our activities. All these people are like our ambassadors and friends abroad, who know you and help help you when needed.

What do you enjoy doing most outside your work?

I guess like everybody, I need my moments of reloading and unwinding. Being in nature always helps. As a typical Estonian I have a country house which takes a lot of my time and energy and I love spending time with my children. I have always been very much into arts and culture and my education in is art theory and architectural history, so I guess you could find me quite often also visiting exhibitions and concerts.

What do you wish for Vabamu in 2024?

I wish a lot of inspiring meetings and conversations with exciting people.
I wish engaging and thoughtful experiences for our visitors.
And I wish strength and wisdom for our team.