Heli holds the chair in Economic Geography at the Department of Marketing and International Business at Turku School of Economics. Throughout her academic career, Heli has been engaged with consumer behaviour in various contexts. Her studies focus on structural and spatial change in retailing, especially in the fields of retail location research and place management.  In 2007-2018 she served as a professor in charge for the multidisciplinary Masters’ Degree Program in Retailing at TSE.

One of her main concerns since receiving the chair in 1999 has been to safeguard and boost the position of Economic Geography in the curriculum of TSE. She has a broad network of contacts both in academia and in the industry. She has also collaborated in various research- and education-oriented academic organisations, including  The Finnish University Network for Tourism Studies, and the Finnish Institute of Migration.

She and her team are well-known and highly appreciated for their commitment and collaboration in development and foresight projects at various levels, especially within retail and tourism. Because of her practice-oriented approach, Heli frequently serves as a speaker at events targeted to the retail industry, planning authorities, and other non-academic audiences. As her research topics are of equal importance both for the layman and policymakers, she often appears in the local and national media.

RESEARCH PROJECTS (NETWORKS):

- KAMU2023

- Turun keskustan tyhjät tilat 2021

- Askura 2020

- KATE2017; professor in charge, 2017-2020.

- KUMU2011, professor in charge, 2010-2016.

- ERIKA2020 (Visions of the Future of Specialty Retail into the Year 2020),  professor in charge at Turku School of Economics (joint project with University of Jyväskylä and  University of Tampere). Funded by TEKES. https://www.laatukoulutus.fi/media/ERIKA_2020_Loppuraportti_johtopaatokset.pdf

- KAVERI (Sustainable shopping locations and concepts in a network city),  professor in charge at Turku School of Economics (joint project with Helsinki University of Technology and Tampere University of Technology). Funded by TEKES. http://www.tut.fi/edge/?page_id=324

- REGSUS Regional sustainability – ecosystem services and environmental technology (Alueellinen kestävyys - Ekosysteemipalvelut ja ympäristöteknologia), member of the advisory board 2010-2012.

- KAUTAS Kaupunkikeskusta monimuotoisena tilana –Asiakkuuden ja liiketoiminnan näkökulma, professor in charge at Turku School of Economics (joint project with Tampere University and Jyväskylä University). Funded by TEKES.

- KOKKKA Kauppakeskukset osana kestävää kulutusta ja kaupunkirakennetta, professor in charge at Turku School of Economics (joint project with Helsinki University of Technology and Tampere University of Technology). Funded by TEKES.

- Urban Generator (Maankäytön muutoksen mallinnusmenetelmä; a joint project with Tampere University of Technology), member of the steering committe, 2007-2008.

- CORECO (Corporate environmental responsibility and the ecosystem approach), member of the steering committee, 2006-2008.

- Corporate Social Responsibility -project (Turku School of Economics and Business Administration), professor in charge, 2003-2007.

- Mylly-project  professor in charge, 2001-2010.

- Länsikeksus-project, researcher, 1990-1997.

As a Head Teacher since 1999, Heli is responsible for curriculum planning and lecturing at all levels within  Economic Geography at TSE. Her teaching duties range from the basics of Economic Geography to advanced level courses on place management and store location research, including research methods (qualitative and quantitative), professional training, and doctoral studies. She also has a solid track record in delivering courses on retail marketing, both at TSE and other universities, often in collaboration with the industry.