Anna-Maria “Anski” Palmroos, who holds the Finnish professional title of Master of Laws trained on the bench, has made a long journey from private legal practice to the very core of renewable energy – and has been instrumental in building Ilmatar into a forerunner in the industry. In honour of Minna Canth and Equality Day today, 19 March, we asked her to share her story in an industry where she hopes to see many more courageous women in the future.
“Renewable energy is the industry of today and tomorrow, and an excellent career choice for women as well.”
1. What is your role at Ilmatar?
At Ilmatar, I serve as Chief Legal Officer and Chief Human Resources Officer, and at executive management level I am also responsible for ESG and Communications. In addition, I act as Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Ilmatar Energy Group and as a member or deputy member of the boards of almost all our group companies. In practice, a large part of the group’s corporate governance passes through my desk.
At a high level, my area of responsibility has remained the same from the very beginning, but the company around it has grown and evolved tremendously. Today, I have the very best team supporting me.
Although my role is broad and strategic, the contract lawyer in me is very much alive . A new contract still makes my fingers itch – what can be found here, what new ideas could emerge?
My working days may include PPA negotiations (Power Purchase Agreements), participation in various steering groups, employment-related matters, sustainability projects or grid connection agreements. And board minutes continue to be produced at a steady pace. The scope of my responsibilities is vast, and the days are highly varied – which is exactly what makes my work so rewarding.
2. Briefly describe your career before Ilmatar
At the beginning of my career, I worked for well over ten years in private legal practice – first at a smaller law firm and then for approximately nine years at Castrén & Snellman, seven of which I worked as an Attorney-at-Law.
After that, I moved into an in-house legal role, and since then the balance has clearly tilted towards the corporate side. I have worked at Siemens Ltd, Innofactor Plc, and now for seven years at Ilmatar. On the corporate side, the role of an in-house lawyer naturally expanded to include responsibilities in HR, ESG and communications, as is often the case.
3. How do you like working at Ilmatar? What is the best part of being one of us?
I enjoy working at Ilmatar immensely. It’s almost like my fourth child – and by far the wildest one. In this industry and in this company, things are constantly happening: sometimes the wind blows, sometimes it doesn’t – and that’s exactly what makes this work so fascinating.
In a growing company, you can also see very concretely how all the experience accumulated over the course of a career turns into real value. Over the years, I have done everything from working at a district court’s real property and mortgage registry office to drafting transfer pricing policies, from due diligence projects back in the days of paper binders to the early implementation of sanctions clauses.
Some of these tasks did not feel particularly career-driving at the time, but looking back you realise they are valuable capital – both for me and for the company.
I enjoy the fact that I still get to challenge myself with complex contracts and transactions. And the people – both our own and those on the other side of the table – are the very best part of this work.
4. Briefly describe your educational background
I hold a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Helsinki. At the time of my graduation 29 years ago, the degree structure was different: the Bachelor of Laws was in fact the higher degree, corresponding to today’s Master of Laws.
In addition, I completed the voluntary one year court training period at a district court and was awarded the honorary title of Master of Laws, trained on the bench (fi: “varatuomari”), which is my official professional designation.
5. How did you end up in the energy sector, and especially in renewable energy?
I first encountered the energy sector during my years in private legal practice, but I truly immersed myself in it at Siemens, where I supported energy divisions for over eight years.
Through my desk passed numerous substation projects, transformer transactions, steam and gas turbine projects, and sub-projects related to nuclear power plants. As early as 2011–2012, I was involved in negotiations and contracts leading to wind turbine transactions.
Through these wind turbine sales agreements, which in my view contain everything essential about what two companies can agree on, I truly fell in love with the industry. To my own surprise, apart from a brief detour into IT, I have now been part of this energetic world for nearly 15 years.
6. What is the renewable energy work environment like for women?
Because the renewable energy sector is still relatively young in Finland, roles are not as gendered as in many more traditional industries. I believe that competence and perseverance are what matter – not gender.
7. Have you seen a change in the roles of women in the industry?
Yes. There are increasingly more women also in technical roles, which is very positive.
8. What has been the most rewarding aspect of your work in renewable energy?
During my years at Ilmatar, the company has grown into an independent power producer, and last year we owned the largest amount of onshore wind power capacity in production in Finland.
I have been involved in most of the contract packages for our current production assets, and it is incredibly rewarding to see that the work has resulted in something tangible – not just contract documents. I feel that together with our other experts, I have left a real mark on advancing clean energy production in Finland.
9. What advice would you give to a young woman considering a career in renewable energy?
This is an industry of today and tomorrow, and one I can wholeheartedly recommend. Every master has once been a beginner, and this sector is very much learnable.
The most important thing is collaboration: be excellent at what you do yourself but also understand the roles of others. That’s how we can achieve something great together – even a new wind farm.
Be the best you can be.
10. What is something others don’t yet know about you?
I have never been on top of a wind turbine – and I don’t plan to go there in the future either. I don’t like heights, so I leave that to others and prefer to admire the views through drone videos.
