Külle Tärnov is an acclaimed Director of Innovation at the FinEst Centre for Smart Cities, renowned for her pioneering work in leading the process of creating new smart city solutions that scale. With over 15 years in the innovation domain Külle has a profound expertise in supporting the teams to start and scale up the new innovations. She holds an MBA from the Estonian Business School and has been instrumental in boosting several award-winning smart city solutions that are implemented in several cities around the globe.

Throughout her career, Külle has been honoured with the Business Innovation Award, reflecting her commitment to her wholehearted support for collaboration between different stakeholders: startups, large companies, academia and public sector. Before joining the FinEst Centre for Smart Cities, she worked as a board member in a top IT company in Estonia, EKTACO and lead the business development unit of the Science and Business Park Tehnopol for more than 10 years. There she led major international innovation projects, initiated and launched the Estonian Connected Health Cluster and coached many startups but also strong international companies, like Nortal, Helmes, etc., always with a focus on achieving beyond borders with collaboration and open innovation. Her work has not only reshaped skylines but also set new benchmarks in innovation processes that make the difference.

Külle Tärnov frequently speaks at national and international forums, sharing insights on new smart city solutions, innovation processes with cities and academia, and the integration of new technologies in cities. Outside of her professional life, Külle is an avid world literature reader, a passion that complements her deep appreciation for various cultures, histories and understandings about life and the universe.