Ilari Leskelä

Ilari leads Rud Pedersen Finland’s defence, security and maritime advisory work.

As Associate Director, he advises clients on strategic communications, public affairs and transformation in complex geopolitical and regulatory environments.

Ilari’s expertise covers Finnish, Nordic and NATO defence policy, crisis communications, cyber resilience and stakeholder engagement. He has ten years of consulting experience across defence, security, advanced technology and AI, finance, infrastructure, and social and healthcare.

Recent work includes advising international defence, technology and engineering clients on business development and strategic communications in Finland, in a broader Nordic and Transatlantic policy context.

Before joining Rud Pedersen, Ilari worked with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland at NATO, at a brand agency in Berlin and in foreign and security policy media.