Members of the Executive Board

Priit Perens, Chairman of the Executive Board

Priit Perens graduated cum laude from the University of Tartu in the specialty of Economic Cybernetics and has studied the Philosophy of Economics at the doctoral level at the University of Tartu. Since 2017, he has been a member of the Supervisory Board of the Estonian Health Insurance Fund. He has been involved in Estonian banking since its inception, working in various positions. He was the CEO of Swedbank AS from 2008–2014, a member of the management of the Swedbank Group from 2015–2017, being responsible for Baltic Banking, and was the Chairman of the Supervisory Boards of Baltic subsidiaries. From 2017–2019, he was a member of the Supervisory Board of the Swedbank Group’s Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian banks.

Dr Liis Salumäe, member of the Executive Board, Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Liis Salumäe graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Tartu in 2007 and in 2011 completed residency with specialisation in pathology. Since 2007, she has been associated with the pathology service of the Tartu University Hospital, having worked there as a resident doctor, pathologist, and from 2017 to 2022 as a manager. From 2022, Dr. Salumäe is also a senior lecturer. In 2014-2015, she gained experience at Karolinska University Hospital. Dr. Salumäe’s work experience has given her the opportunity to shape and develop the daily work, planning and carrying out development activities, cooperation with various national institutions, including educational institutions. Dr. Salumäe belongs to various advisory units related to the specialty, and she also manages the work of the professional society.

Saima Hinno, member of the Executive Board, Head of Nursing and Patient Experience

Saima Hinno graduated cum laude from Tartu Medical School in 1995, earned a Master’s degree from the University of Kuopio and defended her doctoral thesis at the University of Eastern Finland. Saima Hinno has contributed to the development of nursing education and practice through teaching and research, working at Tallinn Medical School, the University of Kuopio, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, the University of Eastern Finland, and the University of Tartu. From 2016 to 2021, Saima Hinno served as the Head of the Nursing and Midwifery Department at Tartu Applied Health Sciences University and from 2021 to 2025, as the Chief Nursing Officer at Viljandi Hospital. Saima Hinno is the Chair of the Estonian Nurse Directors’ Association Board, the Board Member of the European Academy of Nursing Science and the Vice President of the European Nurse Directors Association.

Joel Starkopf, member of the Executive Board, Head of Research and Development

Professor Joel Starkopf graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Tartu in 1991, completing an internship in anaesthesiology and intensive care a year later. He defended his doctoral dissertation in 1997. From 2001 until 2021, Professor Starkopf served as the Head of the Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Clinic at Tartu University Hospital and since 2001 in the University of Tartu. During the period 2009–2015 he served as the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Tartu, and in the years 2016-2021 he has served as the Head of the Institute of Clinical Medicine. Professor Starkopf is the research editor of for the journal Eesti Arst, member of the Research Infrastructure Evaluation Committee of the Estonian Research Council, and Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Health Insurance Indicators at the Estonian Health Insurance Fund, as well as being a member of several other professional societies and committees.