For me, Ensto is a great combination of solid existing businesses and future potential." ARI VIRTANEN ENSTO TODAY 1/2016 23 et Tell us something about yourself and your family. I am married with two children. My wife is a lawyer and works in the public sector. Our son studies finance and doesn’t live at home anymore. His sister is doing her first year of upper secondary school. The fifth member of our family is a West Highland White Terrier with an ego much greater than his body. et Where did you study? I earned my Master’s degree from Tampere University of Technology with dual degrees in industrial economics and computer science. Since then I’ve participated numerous leadership trainings and other events at INSEAD and IMD, for example. I still have postgraduate student status with some courses completed and papers written. The dissertation? Maybe at some point, but now the focus is completely on Ensto. et How would you describe yourself as a person? As a boss? As a colleague? As a friend? I like to think that the person is always the same, but in different roles different characteristics are emphasized. The same fundamentals are always there. For example, ethical behavior, respect for individuals, and high integrity must never be compromised. In the leadership role I feel it is important to define a clear direction and help the team to achieve its goals. Colleagues are there to provide and receive support, often outside their own areas of responsibility. In fact, in many organizations the level of collegial collaboration is far too low. The words I associate with friendship are presence, trust, and loyalty. et Walk us through your career so far. I did my Master’s thesis at Nokia Cellular Systems. The topic was “Charging in GSM networks,” defining the logic of how mobile switching centers collect call-based data and make it possible for the operator to bill its subscribers. So whenever you receive your phone bill, I am partly to blame, because the software I wrote is the great-grandfather of those currently used. Eight years later I was responsible for the business unit, and three years after that heading the technology office of Nokia Networks based in Silicon Valley. After returning to Finland I moved to the mobile phone side and established the Linux SW platform called Maemo (later Meego). We built four generations of Internet Tablets, but unfortunately Linux never became Nokia’s mainstream. During those years Nokia’s business grew rapidly and the success was almost overwhelming. However, when I now look back those times, the strongest memory is not about business. It is about people and how fun it was to work with them. That feeling is something I clearly remember and want to repeat. At Elektrobit I was responsible for the wireless business. That half of the company is now called Bittium. Moving from telecommunications to the R&D service business gave me a totally new perspective in many ways. Suddenly there were other companies than Nokia in Finland with real people working for them. No matter how much I appreciate my Nokia years, I think I really needed that change. It was also rewarding to be part of a competent team, which created great products like the world’s first smartphone with a satellite connection. Kone had well-established “vertical” businesses for elevators, escalators, and doors. My role was to build a “horizontal” solutions business to create the best possible people flow experience. If you google “People Flow Intelligence” you’ll get a good understanding how a traditional industrial company is renewing itself, boosted by digitalization. For me, Kone was both an introduction to a new industry and a great company to work for. At the moment I am doing the final handovers and feel comfortable about moving on. I have always been lucky to work for great companies and now I feel privileged to join Ensto. et What are the most important lessons you’ve learned about success in your previous jobs? There is an old saying that the only place where success comes before work is the dictionary. It is not possible to guarantee success in any business, but when the whole organization works together towards clear and shared goals, the likelihood of success can be significantly increased. Once targets are reached they must be quickly celebrated but then considered to be history. Unfortunately, success is not a stable state of affairs, but it must be earned again and again with small actions every single day. These days, when most companies possess good skills, competences, and processes, companies with true passion will win. The right attitude is irreplaceable, especially during tough times. And finally, success is never individual. It is always winning together. et What is your management philosophy? I don’t think this classifies as a philosophy, but I always try to clarify the business framework, including external trends, competitors, customers, and other stakeholders. Then – by reflecting ourselves against this framework – clear business goals can be defined and shared. Once the whole organization understands the direction in a similar manner, everything else becomes easier, because everyone is pulling in the right direction. The other key thing is to find the right people for the right positions, and give them both responsibility and freedom to execute. I won’t monitor every single action, but will be there if needed. My principle is always to hire people who are more competent in their tasks than I am. The full interview is available online at enstotoday.com "
EnstoToday 2016 No1 / ENG
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