Teemu Backnäs
About
An Ostrobothnian turned Savonian, father of two boys, a double Master of Science in Engineering and an SDP parliamentary candidate.
Who I am
I am an Ostrobothnian turned Savonian, a father of two boys, a double Master of Science in Engineering and an SDP parliamentary candidate. I spent my childhood in Pietarsaari in a bilingual family with three siblings. My childhood coincided with the recession of the 1990s and its consequences were clear in my family. We had less than many others, but we never lacked anything essential. The welfare state made education and the conditions for a good life possible.
I moved to Oulu to study environmental engineering. I graduated right around the financial crisis and had to work hard to find a job. Fortunately I was not unemployed for very long. I completed a second engineering degree in process engineering, focusing mainly on mining industry processes. To strengthen my environmental engineering degree I also studied biorefinery technology, with the idea that I could do the most good through applications of environmental engineering.
Today I work as a specialist in the pharmaceutical industry at Finvector, working on gene therapy medicines. The work includes approving various process and analytics instruments for production. It is a great privilege to work with good colleagues on the manufacture of a cancer medicine.
Free time
In my free time I enjoy martial arts. I practised karate for over 20 years. I also enjoy all kinds of “geekery”, such as board games, role-playing games and computer games. I do sports and enjoy the sciences and the arts. My interests are varied and it is interesting to learn and experience new things. Still, spending time with my two sons is the best of all.
Positions of trust
Current positions of trust
- SDP member since 2016 and member of the party council since 2023
- Member of Kuopio city board since 2025
- Member of Kuopio city council since 2025
- Member of the employment area committee (representing the city board) since 2025
- Member of the North Savo wellbeing services county council since 2025
- Member of the county council's strategy and future committee since 2025
- Member of the council of the Savo Vocational College joint authority since 2025
- Member of the SDP climate and environment working group since 2025 and of its chairs since 2026
Previous positions of trust
- Deputy member of Kuopio city council 2021–2025
- Full member of the wellbeing promotion committee 2021–2025
- Deputy member of the North Savo wellbeing services county council and of its strategy and future sub-committee 2022–2025
- Chair of Ekomodernistit ry 2024–2025
- SDP foreign and security policy working group 2024–2025
- SDP climate and environment working group 2024–2025
- SDP industry and energy policy working group 2024–2025