ALISHA HASAN LEADS FINLAND'S BOLD TRANSMEDIA SHIFT GLOBALLY

Finnish-Indian innovator Alisha Hasan reshapes global storytelling through fearless cross-industry collaboration.

- MURTAZA ALI KHAN

When Alisha Hasan walks into an industry market—whether in Helsinki, Malta, London, or now Goa—she does so with an unusual mix of Nordic clarity and Indian boldness.

“I am definitely not shy,” she laughs. “Some of my Finnish friends ask me, how do you just go and talk to someone? But that’s where I get my boldness from—the Indian side.”

That boldness has shaped one of the most forward-thinking creative careers in Finland today. As the Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Helsinki Film Lab (HFL), Alisha is spearheading a global reimagining of how film, TV, games, animation, and publishing collaborate. And she is doing it at the exact moment when traditional storytelling models are being reshaped by new formats, new markets, and new audience expectations.

This year, Alisha arrived at the Goa Waves Film Bazaar as part of Team Finland’s first-ever official delegation to India—a landmark step in Finland’s cultural diplomacy and creative export strategy. For her, though, the moment was personal: “For the first time, I'm really starting to work with Indian companies at a deeper level—not just on the surface. I'm reconnecting with India professionally as well as personally.”

Her presence also signaled something larger: the rise of Finland as a global transmedia innovator—and Alisha as one of its most distinctive voices.

Alisha’s path to transmedia leadership began in her previous role as Head of Industry at the Finnish Film Affair, the Nordic country’s key international film market. When she joined, the event had no gaming component whatsoever.

“Before I was there, there was no gaming. And currently also they don’t have the gaming focus,” she recalls.