Researcher · Founder · AI Transformation Leader

Turning complexity into competitive advantage.

Through AI, organizational design, and product thinking, I help organizations uncover opportunities, improve how they operate, and create measurable value.

The tools vary. The method stays the same.

Dr. Holger Jänes
PhD
Marine Biology · Deakin University, Australia
10+ yrs
Research, consulting and applied technology
200+
Students trained across 7 AI cohorts
Springer
Published · AI and public health
Method

Every organization is different. The method stays the same.

01 Observe.
  • Talk to the people doing the actual work
  • Find the recurring problems people have stopped questioning
  • Understand what is actually needed, not what seems obvious from the outside
02 Identify.
  • Find where a focused change makes the biggest difference
  • Base recommendations on evidence, not assumption
  • Prioritize what will create the most value
03 Build.
  • Build solutions that fit the actual problem
  • Deliver capabilities that embed into how the organization works
  • When the solution works broadly, it becomes a product
Results in practice · LandScout

The best opportunities are often hiding in plain sight.

A consulting engagement revealed a recurring inefficiency that had long been accepted as part of the job. Solving it became LandScout.

Reducing work measured in days to minutes creates measurable operational savings. Across organizations, this translates into thousands of euros in recovered specialist capacity each year.

60 users
Across 5 organizations
~50%
Of Estonia's environmental consultancy sector
Days → minutes
Environmental baseline assessments
LandScout platform interface
"LandScout has become embedded in our daily assessment operations. We can no longer imagine returning to previous methods."
Heikki Kalle, CEO — Hendrikson & Ko
"Tasks that previously required days of fragmented spatial review can now be completed within minutes."
Piret Toonpere, CEO — Lemma OÜ
Organizational fit

What makes an opportunity worth pursuing?

A Meaningful Problem

The challenge is significant enough to be worth solving properly, not simply working around.

A Desire to Improve

There is genuine commitment to building better ways of working — not just interest in exploring new technology.

Leadership Engagement

Leaders are directly involved in shaping how the organization operates and improves.

Operational Complexity

Core work depends on expertise, judgment, and information that is fragmented, difficult to access, or hard to systematize.

Openness to Discovery

The organization is willing to follow what the evidence reveals, even when the answer differs from what was expected at the start.

AI as a Capability

Technology is treated as a strategic capability to develop over time, not simply a tool to experiment with.

Technology changes how organizations operate. Capability determines whether the change lasts.

Capability Development

Better technology needs better judgment.

As AI reshapes how organizations operate, the people doing the work need to develop alongside it.

Practical Capability

Building the skills to use AI deliberately in real work — applied to actual decisions and problems, not demonstrations.

Better Judgment

Knowing when AI adds value, how to evaluate what it produces, and how to apply it in complex, ambiguous situations.

Lasting Change

Capability grows through practice and reflection, delivered through organizational training, workshops, and university programmes.

200+
Students trained
7
Cohorts delivered
TMK
Tallinna Majanduskool
AI Mastery Hub — Holger Jänes, PhD
Speaking

Speaking is part of the same work — helping leaders and organizations understand what meaningful AI adoption actually requires, how organizational and human capability develop together, and what it takes to build change that lasts.

"The course changed how I think about AI. I realized it is not simply a faster search engine, but a different way of approaching complex problems."
Toomas Muuli
"AI is no longer something I experiment with. It has become a practical tool I use deliberately in my daily work."
Aivi Puls
"The most valuable lesson was learning how to ask better questions. Understanding how to structure prompts fundamentally changed the quality of the results I could achieve."
Tiina Kärsna
"The course opened up entirely new possibilities for how I approach my work and future projects."
Triinu
Experience

A decade at the edge of complex systems.

Across research, consulting, and technology, the common thread has been making complex systems easier to understand and improve.

EU Research Project · 2024–2025

SUSANA

Sustainable use of sand in nature-based coastal protection.

Connecting ecology, economics, governance, and stakeholder decision-making to support resilient coastal infrastructure across Europe.

Blue Cluster · Belgium
EU Research Project · 2019–2021

MAREA

Bringing ecosystem accounting into coastal governance.

Translating marine ecosystem science into practical tools for planning and decision-making across the Baltic region.

Estonian Marine Institute · Baltic Region
Doctoral Research · 2016–2020

Mapping Ocean Wealth

Quantifying the economic value of coastal ecosystems at scale.

Integrating ecological, spatial, and economic data across thousands of kilometres of Australian coastline.

Deakin University · Nature Conservancy · Australia
2022 – present
Founder & CEO
OÜ Lucidium · Lumestra LLC
Lucidium — consulting & education (Estonia) · Lumestra — product company behind LandScout (US)
Founded and lead two companies focused on AI implementation, organizational innovation, and digital products. Building practical solutions that help organizations work smarter, make better decisions, and unlock new opportunities.
2019 – 2021
Project Manager
Estonian Marine Institute
Led international research projects across the Baltic region. First applied AI to environmental data analysis as part of the EU SUSANA project in Belgium.
2016 – 2020
Research Scientist and PhD candidate
Deakin University, Australia
Doctoral research on the economic valuation of coastal ecosystems. Quantitative modelling, spatial analysis, and evidence synthesis at scale.
2010 – 2014
B.Sc. Marine Biology — 1st Class Honours
University of Aberdeen, Scotland
Graduated with First Class Honours. Student Ambassador and representative of the School of Life and Environmental Sciences.
Book Chapter · Springer · 2025
Harnessing Artificial Intelligence to Transform Drinking Water Safety

Published in Climate Change, Drinking Water Security and Public Health (Springer). Co-authored with colleagues at UC Berkeley.

View on Google Books ↗
Full publication list ↗
Work together

Let's explore what's possible.

Whether you're evaluating AI opportunities, improving how work gets done, or building something new, I'd be happy to hear from you.

Open to consulting, advisory work, AI strategy, capability development, speaking engagements, and leadership roles.