We are excited to announce three additions to our team.
Heikki joined VALOR in the beginning of January as a senior associate. Before this, Heikki was an authorized auditor (KHT) and worked as an audit manager at BDO. Through the years in audit, Heikki has gained an understanding of a large spectrum of different businesses, both domestic and international.
Our new analyst trainees Arttu and Frida both joined VALOR in January. Arttu is studying Finance and Systems Science at Aalto University. He has worked as an entrepreneur and as a business simulation developer intern at Cesim. Frida is currently studying for a master’s degree at Hanken School of Economics with finance as her major. She has previous experience from working as an analyst intern at Alexander Corporate Finance.
We asked our new team members about their expectations and on their thoughts about what makes VALOR special to them.
What do you hope to gain from your new position?
Heikki: I hope to build expertise in consulting strategy and operational improvement. I really like working with customers and I’m looking forward to focusing on customers’ business and creating value to them through our engagements.
Arttu: I hope that I can put my studies into practice, and, on top of that, I hope to gain knowledge and new skills from real life. I also hope to build many new friendships during the spring.
Frida: I hope to challenge myself and get an insight into different industries. I’m also looking forward to getting to know the team and hearing about their experiences during my internship.
What makes VALOR special?
Heikki: The agility of the company and the hands-on approach of the experienced staff as well. What got me interested in VALOR is the possibility to work on different projects with different people and segments.
Arttu: Motivated teams and a result-driven culture make VALOR special. Here the people get opportunities to build the skill set of their interest.
Frida: In my opinion, VALOR provides great opportunities for a very steep learning curve, as it’s a smaller company with very experienced people and a broad range of projects. The trainee program has also received great feedback which makes VALOR special for me as well.
We are happy to announce the appointments of Juha Viljakainen to Partner Finance and Kalle Ahlstedt to Partner Energy.
Both Juha and Kalle have demonstrated commitment to VALOR and played key roles in generating new business opportunities during their time at VALOR.
Kalle has strengthened VALOR’s leading position as an advisor in the energy sector. He has helped customers in tackling the challenges and utilizing the opportunities of the energy industry transformation. Kalle has overseen several business development initiatives, operational efficiency programs and M&A processes during his two years with VALOR.
Juha has built valuable and strong customer relationships in the finance industry during his three years with VALOR. He has already made the industry significant for VALOR. The aim is to grow the business and be one of the consultancy practices that comes first to mind in the Finnish market.
“These two years in VALOR have been a great time, with superb customers and colleagues, as well as interesting assignments. I’m looking forward to what’s to come!”
-Kalle
“Over the past three years, as a part of VALOR’s professional team, I’ve been able to contribute to interesting business development projects with various scopes. In the future, our goal is to grow our support for financial sector customers in developing their business while offering opportunities for new talents within the VALOR finance sector team.”
Sonja joined VALOR Partners in November 2021. Before joining VALOR, she worked as a consultant at Nordic Healthcare Group and has several years’ experience in healthcare and social care industry management consulting. Sonja has broad experience of the healthcare and social care industry from numerous projects for both private and public sector clients.
Outside office hours, Sonja keeps active by participating in several sports and yoga, and spending time outdoors. To relax, she also enjoys baking and spending time with friends and family.
We asked Sonja about her first impressions of VALOR and her expectations for the coming year.
What have your first impressions of VALOR been like?
The VALOR team seems highly motivated by their work, and multiple different areas of expertise lie within the company. There’s clearly a low-hierarchy culture, which I hope will contribute both to a positive work environment and the opportunity to grow professionally.
Everyone in the VALOR team has been welcoming. I’ve already had the chance to get to know many of my new colleagues while mountain biking, doing aerial yoga and on a company trip abroad.
What are your expectations for 2022?
Most of all, I’m looking forward to interesting and diverse client projects. Especially in the healthcare and social care industry, the ongoing reform in Finland has brought challenges and opportunities for both the public and private sectors. I’m excited to work alongside our clients in solving these timely and important issues. On the other hand, I’m also looking forward to getting to know the VALOR team and company culture better in the coming months.
Kalle joined VALOR in October 2021. He has previously worked as a product management intern at Unity Technologies and as a data analyst at Neste. He is studying Industrial Engineering and Management at Aalto University.
Kalle’s main activity outside the office is going to the gym. He is also into a wide variety of different sports like golf, jogging, and tennis, which he participates in less regularly. In addition to sports, Kalle loves travel and visiting new places.
We asked Kalle about the surprises he has found in the new job and his thoughts about the VALOR office.
Has anything surprised you about the job in the first weeks?
Even though I anticipated a great trainee period, I was quite struck by how much emphasis VALOR places on enabling a positive trainee experience. Getting to know nearly all the other employees in scheduled 1-on-1 meetings provided a great start and having an opportunity to contribute to many completely different projects will surely be beneficial for helping me discover my interests.
The work so far has been anything but monotonous, and I’ve received some high-quality feedback to help me improve my skills. The relaxed and low-hierarchy culture makes the work fun and removes any barriers to asking for guidance.
What are the best things about the VALOR office?
Having worked remotely for the last eighteen months, going to the VALOR office has shown me how a physical office can provide a positive boost to productivity while making the work more fun. The office itself is spectacular and provides an astonishing view, and its central location enables easy commuting and access to various lunch restaurants. I’ve also taken the full benefit of all the snacks and drinks at the office – the combination of coffee and a protein milkshake especially provides a great boost for the day.
Akseli joined VALOR in September 2021. Akseli has experience in supply chain management, and he previously worked as a supply chain analyst and a master’s thesis worker at RELEX Solutions. He is finalizing his studies in Industrial Engineering and Management at Aalto University. Outside the office, Akseli enjoys all kinds of sports and plays football in a lower division.
Why VALOR?
I became interested in the possibility of combining my interests in operational improvement and management consulting at VALOR. I also got a great impression of the company at a recruiting event. The people at the event had a similar background to mine, which increased my urge to apply for the internship. A small company with experienced people will provide an excellent environment for me to improve my professional skills and learn about management consulting.
Expectations vs. reality?
Before the internship started, I had heard a lot about the company from friends who had worked at VALOR. So I was pretty sure of what to expect. However, I was worried about starting a new job now that working from home has become the new standard. Yet I was positively surprised to be able to work at the office and meet my colleagues in person now that the restrictions have loosened. And one-on-one meetings with everyone at the company made sure I got to know new people and meet those who don’t work at the office regularly.
I was already assigned to my first project during the first week and received great guidance from the team in getting started. I was also delighted that my personal interests in various projects were considered well, and I was happy with the project I was assigned to.
Do you have any advice for anyone interested in working at VALOR too?
Be brave and apply for the position. And if something concerns you about the company, don’t hesitate to send a message. I’m sure anyone at VALOR will be eager to answer the questions about the job. If you have further questions regarding my experiences with the internship, feel free to contact me via LinkedIn or other platforms.
Anna-Rosa joined VALOR in August 2021. Anna-Rosa’s main expertise lies in the healthcare and social care industry. She has worked in varied projects involving e.g. procurement, strategy, operational development, market analyses, benchmarking services, and cost and productivity analyses.
Her previous colleagues have described Anna-Rosa as a proactive team player who is particularly skilled in structuring complex problems, and facilitating client workshops and other collaboration.
Outside working hours, Anna-Rosa likes spending time outdoors, exploring nature with her dog or with friends and family.
What has been the most rewarding part of your new job so far?
I’m excited that I’ve been able to jump into interesting projects straightaway. I can already see the growth opportunities both the projects and the working environment at VALOR will bring, which I find rewarding. It’s also been great to meet all my talented new colleagues!
What does work-life balance mean to you?
Certain realities always apply in consulting, which to me means flexibility on both sides. When working with interesting cases and a great team, it’s motivating to challenge oneself, even though it sometimes means working longer hours. To balance it out, it’s of course important to have your own hobbies and routines, and to spend time with the team outside the office, for example.
An internship at VALOR gives you an excellent opportunity to kick-start your future career through working on projects in:
Strategy, growth, and business development
Operational improvement and process design
M&A and private equity
What we offer
The opportunity to quickly build on your core consulting skills, from data analysis and synthesis to client counselling
Full involvement in the entire life cycle of a project – with a dedicated role and active mentoring
Day-to-day work in an informal, inclusive and fun environment
The internship is a full-time position lasting 3-4 months. However, the timing and duration of the internship is planned so that it fulfills both your interests and ours. An internship is an excellent steppingstone to a full-time position at VALOR.
How to apply
Send your application to Hanna Mäkinen, hanna.makinen@valor.fi by Sept 26th, 2021. Please include and combine the following documents into one PDF-formatted document:
Cover letter
Curriculum vitae
University grade transcript
Upper secondary school matriculation certificate
An ideal candidate for an internship is a master’s level student with a strong academic background, good analytical and social skills, good knowledge of both Finnish and English, and most importantly, the motivation and drive for learning and professional development.
For more information about our firm, our people, and the internship contact Teemu Siren (+358 40 841 70 21) or other VALOR employees.
We are pleased to introduce our newest team member, Sirpa Ojala. Sirpa has about 30 years’ extensive experience in executive management positions, mainly as a CEO and board member. For most of her career, she has worked with Private Equity shareholders, but she also has more than 20 years’ experience of successful public-private partnerships. Sirpa has led strategic transformation, restructuring and operational efficiency programs, and M&A processes. Her mission is to create new business thinking, and to lead the top management teams and Board of Directors to great performance improvements to boost shareholder value.
Sirpa loves spending time with her family, both in the city or in their countryside home, which was built in 1898 and is located close to Mustio Manor by Lake Lohja. She enjoys renovating and gardening with her husband, as well as golf, interior design, and travel.
What was your first impression of VALOR?
I already knew a couple of the VALOR team members, and when I was working on a common project, I learned to appreciate their professional approach. The first impression was a friendly and open communication culture, with a lean organization. The cooperation between VALOR colleagues is respectful and relaxed. I’ve felt warmly welcomed to the team.
What do you hope to gain from your new position?
I hope to be able to provide my expertise to the advantage of the customers. I’m a team player and love working with customers. I also hope to build new relationships to learn more myself.
Mika joined VALOR in August 2021 after a seven-year tenure as the CEO of security and IT company Viria Group. He has more than 30 years’ experience in international managerial positions in medical technology, the printing and packaging industry, IT services, consultancy, and security technology. Mika lives and breathes strategy, from vision and business models to implementation. Mika enjoys spending time with his family and doing outdoor sports like mtb enduro, kayaking, skiing, or fixing his old house in Espoo.
We asked Mika about his expectations for the upcoming fall and his thoughts about small firm advantages.
You’ve worked for quite large companies like Viria and Tieto. What do you think are the biggest advantages of working for a small firm like VALOR?
The answer is simple: less bureaucracy and control. You don’t need many rules or instructions when everybody knows everybody, and things are based mainly on trust.
What are your expectations for the fall of 2021? Is there something you’re especially waiting for?
Starting in a new role in a small expert organization is a very exciting and refreshing thing as a whole, but I do greatly look forward to working with customers too.
We are pleased to announce that Klaus Klemetti, Antti Lehtovirta and Tuomas Suomi have been promoted to Senior Associates. Klaus, Antti and Tuomas all bring an incredible wealth of experience and knowledge to our team.
Congratulations for the promotions!
“I’m very thankful for the reliable support and career opportunities that VALOR has offered me, and I look forward to exciting times ahead as our team continues to grow. At VALOR, the mentality has always been to encourage people to take new challenges and responsibilities head on, and I relish this opportunity to contribute to the team and develop myself professionally.”
– Klaus
“Time and time again, I’ve been amazed by VALOR’s growth, both as a business and as a team. I’m really looking forward to continuing to grow with my colleagues, learning more from our intriguing client companies and creating value for them.”
– Antti
“During my time at VALOR, I’ve been able to find interesting new topics to work with and grow as a professional. I’m eager to see what kind of opportunities the next chapter holds.”
