Our staff

Hando Sutter will lead the Estonian Employers’ Confederation team from October 2024. He will represent the interests of the Confederation’s members in various organisations and will provide clarification on legislation and the business environment.

Hando Sutter has worked as a senior executive for more than 30 years and has led companies such as Eesti Energia, Nord Pool Spot, Olympic Entertainment Group and others. He has also been a member of the Employers’ Confederation’s council and chaired the Confederation’s education working group for several years.

Rivo contributes to explaining to the public what the Employers’ Confederation does and what matters to its members. Previously, he has worked for more than 20 years in journalism, most of it at Äripäev, Estonia’s leading business newspaper, where, in addition to his work as a journalist, he also managed various editorial departments and helped launch Äripäev radio. In his spare time, he volunteers for various projects, participates in endurance sports, reads a lot, studies tea culture and organises tea ceremonies.

Evelyn’s main tasks include implementing communication activities to promote the activities and objectives of the Confederation, organising internal communication, managing social media channels and managing various international and domestic (Donate Time) communication projects. Evelyn has extensive marketing and communications experience in the building materials and real estate industries.
Evelyn enjoys experimenting with new recipes and developing her cooking skills and taste buds, playing music, gardening and doing exciting things with her family in her spare time.

Piia provides legal advice to the Employers “Confederation and its governing bodies and participates in the drafting of legislation affecting its members. Piia coordinates the work of the Estonian Employers” Confederation’s labour market and health working groups. As a representative of the Confederation of Estonian Employers, she is a member of the Board of the Estonian Standards Centre, a member of the Advisory Committee on Freedom of Movement for Workers of the European Union, an alternate member of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work and the European Advisory Committee on Safety and Health at Work. Previously, Piia has worked in the International Law Department of the Ministry of Justice and for a long time as General Counsel of a large infrastructure management and transport company. Piia graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Tartu. In her free time she enjoys all kinds of exercise (from yoga to boxing), studying medical literature and watching motorsport.

Raul contributes data analysis to position papers and policy messages, and chairs the Economic Development and Tax, Environment and Energy and Innovation working groups. Prior to joining Employers, Raul worked as an analyst at the Tax and Customs Board. Raul holds a Master’s degree in Social Sciences from Tallinn University of Technology. In his spare time, Raul enjoys spending time with his family, health sports and fishing.

Kristi is responsible for external relations at the Employers’ Confederation. Her role is to relay important information from Europe and around the world. This includes BusinessEurope, Business at the OECD and the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) as well as other European legislation. He has been involved in EU affairs for 15 years, working in the European Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu and for the last five years in Brussels, liaising with various EU institutions and embassies. In his free time he likes to travel a lot, spend time with his family and do sports.

Kati coordinates and promotes the R&D and innovation capacity of Estonian companies. Her responsibilities include product management of the Innovation Staircase framework for the innovation ecosystem, preparation and coordination of materials for policy development in the field of RDI, and organisation of the Employers’ Innovation Start-up Chamber and the 2% Club for innovative companies. Previously, Kati has worked as CEO and development advisor of the Estonian Printing and Packaging Industry Association and managed a medical start-up. In 2021, she obtained a Master’s Degree in Economics from the University of Tartu and in 2022, she continued her education at the Swedish Institute Management Programme with a focus on sustainable business strategies and responsible management.

Ilona takes care of the Central Alliance team, the wonderful history of the house and the day-to-day running of the business. She organises and is responsible for the successful running of various events, both inside and outside the office. Previously, Ilona has been involved in the hospitality and tourism industry – starting her career as an administrator and ending up managing the reception department. Ilona still creates a welcoming and pleasant environment in the central office and for its guests. In her free time, Ilona enjoys various trips with her family both in Estonia and abroad. Ilona appreciates good books and the cuisine of different countries.

Arnika is responsible for financial accounting, reporting, budgeting and tax accounting as the financial manager and chief accountant of the central association. She really likes numbers and putting them into systems. Arnika holds a Master’s degree in Economics from Tallinn University of Technology. In addition to her work at the Central Association, Arnika is a chartered accountant and is responsible for the financial accounting of several other companies. Outside of work, she likes to do health sports – she can be found running, skiing, cycling or walking on the health trail.

Külli is in charge of the accounting of the Estonian Employers’ Confederation, to ensure that all the operations of the Confederation are correctly reflected in the accounts in accordance with Estonian law and the requirements of various projects. At the same time, Külli is also active as an entrepreneur, offering accounting services and consulting to a wide variety of Estonian companies and housing associations. Külli graduated from the Estonian University of Life Sciences with a degree in accounting and finance and has worked in this field for many years in private companies as well as in local government. In her spare time, she works a lot to make her hometown safer and cleaner and believes it is important that everyone should be able to do something real with their own hands, not just with words.

Silja has been welcoming guests to the Central Union House for 19 years with a good mood and a smile on her face, so that people want to come back again and again. She is responsible for the internal and external upkeep of the house. Silja worked in the trade and catering sector for 26 years before joining the Central Federation. In her spare time, Silja likes to put her hands in the soil and go for walks in the woods and by the sea. Her biggest friends are four-legged animals – she especially likes dogs.

Külliki is a good hostess who welcomes all comers and makes sure that their stay is memorable and comfortable. Külliki is the person to contact if you need information about the house, if you need to offer food and drinks to your guests or if you want to see the house’s rental space. Previously, Külliki has run her own business for 17 years. She graduated from Tallinn University of Technology, Faculty of Economics. In her spare time she works with her pets, takes an interest in antiques and is helping to revive her country home.