Ilkka Lipasti

Ilkka Lipasti is Group Vice President, Business Transformation at ABB, where he leads large-scale transformation initiatives across the company’s global businesses. His work focuses on improving organizational performance, accelerating growth, and strengthening ABB’s ability to respond to changing market dynamics through more effective operating models, leadership practices, and execution capabilities.

With more than 30 years of experience spanning manufacturing, consulting, and corporate leadership, Ilkka has built a career centered on helping organizations navigate complex change and translate strategy into measurable business results. His professional journey includes leadership roles in leading Finnish industrial companies, international consulting assignments across Europe and Asia, and global transformation responsibilities within ABB. This combination of experience has given him a broad perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing organizations operating in rapidly evolving business environments.

At ABB, Ilkka has played an active role in advancing the company’s transformation agenda, contributing to the development of operating and go-to-market models designed to support growth, profitability, and long-term competitiveness. His work has included initiatives aimed at capturing opportunities in emerging sectors such as data centers and other high-growth markets. He is also a strong advocate of using simulations, gamification, and AI-enabled engagement platforms to increase organizational learning, strengthen employee involvement, and accelerate the adoption of change.

Prior to joining ABB, Ilkka spent more than a decade as Senior Partner and Board Member at Talent Vectia, where he advised organizations on strategy execution, customer value creation, leadership development, and cultural transformation. Earlier in his career, he served as Partner and Senior Executive at Accenture, leading international projects focused on business transformation, organizational change, strategy development, and large-scale growth initiatives.

Beyond his executive responsibilities, Ilkka serves on advisory boards and actively contributes to industry discussions on transformation, leadership, and organizational effectiveness. He is a published author, case study writer, conference speaker, and podcast guest, recognized for his practical perspective on connecting strategy with execution while keeping people at the center of transformation. His expertise includes business transformation, strategy execution, organizational change, leadership development, operating model design, and cultural transformation.