Team

Based on the specific needs of every client and our diverse professional network, we form project-based teams for any bigger assignment.

A recent example:

we consulted a nation-wide program for young people that combines football training and life skills sessions;
our team included a researcher with more than 10 years of experience in football, and another with degrees from University of Oxford and University of Tübingen, respectively in Experimental Psychology and Neural and Behavioural Sciences.

Get in touch and we will form a team according to your needs.

Jaan Aps, CEO

jaan(at)storiesforimpact.com

Besides conducting high quality analytical work as a consultant and manager of research teams, Jaan has extensive experience in getting things done as a leader. For example, he was a co-founder and the CEO of the Estonian Social Enterprise Network in 2012-2019. Jaan has also advanced the conceptual thinking and tools of impact measurement, (co-)authoring a number of handbooks about impact measurement in English, Estonian and Russian.

Jaan is a popular public speaker and trainer who has stood in front of thousands of people in Estonia and internationally on four continents. He has taught at an international MA Programme of Social Entrepreneurship at Tallinn University since its inception in 2018. The Network of the Estonian Nonprofit Organizations elected him as a „Mission person of the year“ in 2013.

Carmen Akkermann, Senior Analyst

carmen(at)storiesforimpact.com

Carmen has experience with hands-on impact analysis in different fields nationally and internationally, focusing on quantitative analysis and creating effective systems to track and analyze impact-related data. Having a professional background in IT, she is inspired by technical challenges in the field of social impact. Her recent research projects include a mid-term impact assessment of STEP, an employment program for young offenders, and impact analysis of ten new youth work programs working with vulnerable youth in the City of Tallinn.

Carmen has also created an Excel-based employee and client management system for Toetus MTÜ, an NGO the aim of which is to provide psychological counseling and speech therapy in Harju county, earlier they managed their clients and employees mostly in paper notebooks. Moreover, she contributed to creating and developing the impact management toolbox for youth organizations in co-operation with partners from all Baltic countries.

Ronald Must, Artist-Designer

ronald(at)storiesforimpact.com

Ronald had a connection with Stories For Impact already before joining the team. He is the person who created the logo and visual identity of the company (read more here). The co-operation with this project and other ones for the clients of SFI worked well and soon Ronald officially became a team member.

In terms of illustration style, Ronald is very versatile, incorporating both comic art and caricature. The common thread in all his work, however, is his aim to keep the visuals as upbeat as possible, even when dealing with more serious subjects, and to make the viewer think, often using metaphors. Having graduated from Tartu Art School as a designer, Ronald has independently developed skills in animation, 3D graphics and video editing.

Marta Pulk, Podcast Project Manager

marta(at)storiesforimpact.com

Marta is a storyteller by nature – thus the connection with Stories For Impact seemed like a natural match. She is a film director and editor, whose documentaries have moved audiences in Estonia as well as in international film festivals. She has always been interested in humans, how we exist together and what motivates our behavior. Due to her interest in psychology, she has directed two documentary features: „A Year Full of Drama“ involved a human experiment on what happens when you immerse someone completely in arts for one year. „Tell Me“ delved into the psyche of the Covid pandemic, as this international documentary project collected voices from all around the world during the first wave of global lockdowns. She has worked with NGOs like the Estonian Filmmakers Association and The Baltic-American Freedom Foundation.

Now she’s the head of Stories For Impact’s new mental health-centered podcast, which highlights professionals from the field of psychology and investigates alongside them what empowers them and how the impact of their work can keep on growing.

Heli-Katri Marttila, Analyst

heli-katri(at)storiesforimpact.com

Heli has a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, which has supported developing analytical and logical thinking. In addition, she has an extensive background in community activism, having contributed to various organisations and youth programmes. Her previous experience includes developing student organisations at the Student Foundation (ÜKSA), facilitating a youth development programme at Domus Dorpatensis, and managing the overall strategy and community well-being as a board member of a youth organisation.

Heli’s mission is to put together the bigger picture from puzzle pieces, so to say, for example by identifying the factors involved in societal challenges and trying to understand the impact of potential solutions. At Stories For Impact, Heli has worked on researching systemic mental health issues, and analysing corporate social impact as an evaluator for the Estonian Responsible Business Index.