1. What is your role at Ilmatar, what kinds of tasks does your workday include, and how has your area of responsibility evolved during your time at Ilmatar?
At Ilmatar, I lead the Engineering & Technology team, whose role is to provide technical expertise for our projects across all phases. In practice, this includes development-phase planning and production modelling, supporting investment preparation and construction, as well as improving the capabilities of our operating assets and the related analytical methods.
My workdays involve close collaboration with other teams and our supplier network. My team works primarily remotely, and day-to-day communication takes place via messages and calls. Some matters are resolved through short guidance sessions, while others require deeper joint problem-solving. I also aim to reserve time for tasks that require focused, in-depth work.
The best workdays are those spent at one of our offices, such as in Helsinki, Tampere or Oulu, where I can meet colleagues face to face. Remote days are also particularly enjoyable when they include a balanced mix of collaboration, team-related matters and focused expert work.
I joined Ilmatar three years ago in the New Business Development team. Through organizational changes, my role has evolved from a specialist position towards a more leadership-oriented role. At the same time, my area of responsibility has expanded, while I still greatly enjoy contributing my specialist expertise to colleagues also in more detailed matters.
2. How do you enjoy working at Ilmatar? What is the best part of being one of us?
I enjoy working at Ilmatar very much. The best part is our skilled, friendly, proactive and committed colleagues, whose broad and deep expertise has also helped me understand many topics from new perspectives. Our ways of working are well established, and everyone has the opportunity to develop and challenge themselves in their respective roles.
3. Briefly describe your career before Ilmatar
I have worked with wind power and other renewable energy power systems throughout my career, starting in 2003. After graduating, I began my career at an equipment supplier in international product development and project roles. I worked there for approximately ten years, including two years living in China, where I witnessed first-hand the beginning of the rapid growth of wind power.
After that, I worked as an entrepreneur for around ten years in a very broad range of roles, from specialist assignments to serving as Chair of the Board, and everything in between. Throughout my career, I have continuously expanded my expertise, starting from the development and application of individual devices and gradually progressing towards a comprehensive understanding of the entire electricity market.
4. Briefly describe your educational background
I hold a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering. In addition, I have studied business administration and management to an extent equivalent to a bachelor’s degree. I strongly believe in lifelong learning and currently continue to take courses in my free time to further strengthen my professional expertise.
5. What is the most important lesson you have learned during your career?
There are many, but at the moment the most important lessons relate to time and intuition.
Regarding time, it is important to understand that a task or project is not necessarily a failure even if results are not immediately visible. Often, outcomes materialise later than expected, and the benefits may differ from the original objectives.
Another key lesson is trusting one’s intuition. Although I am analytical by nature, I believe that trusting one’s instincts and experience often leads to sufficiently good decisions and enables faster reactions than over-analysing every detail.
