From sales to SaaS leadership
This page focuses on how my career has evolved and what I've learned along the way.
Curiosity and the desire to create impact have guided every step of my career. I've consistently gravitated toward roles where something needed to be built or fundamentally improved, and where progress could be made visible through execution.
For a chronological overview of roles and titles, see my LinkedIn profile.
Core experience
- Leading transformation in global organizations
- Building teams, processes, KPI dashboards, and workflows from the ground up, including recruiting new talent
- Developing B2B SaaS business and products
- Implementing new systems and tools to accelerate change
- Facilitating decision forums and workshops
- Establishing ISO-certified management systems and sustainability reporting
Foundations: Sales and commercial thinking
My career began in retail sales, where I learned the fundamentals of customer needs, accountability, and results-driven work. Sales appealed to me because it combined problem-solving with immediate, tangible outcomes.
This experience led me to study business administration, giving me a broad foundation in how organizations operate and how different functions connect. From early on, I was motivated by understanding the whole system rather than optimizing isolated parts.
Retail Salesperson
2008-2010 | Fanletti Oy
Student, Business Administration, Sales & Marketing
2010-2016 |Satakunta University of Applied Sciences
Early leadership and governance experience
Alongside my studies, I was deeply involved in municipal and student politics, holding multiple elected and leadership positions, including chairman roles. This experience developed my ability to prepare decisions, work with diverse stakeholders, and operate in formal governance environments.
While the experience was valuable, it also clarified what motivates me most: pace, ownership, and the ability to turn decisions into action. I realized I wanted to focus my career in environments where execution and impact move faster than in politics.
During my final year of studies, I completed coursework in ISO-certified quality management systems, which sparked a strong interest in building value-creating operating models. I focused my thesis on quality management, graduating with the highest possible grade and a university stipend.
The Municipality of Nakkila
2009-2016 | Member of the Municipal Council
2009-2013 | Member of the Education Committee
2015-2016 | Member of the Municipal Board
The University of Applied Sciences Students in Finland
2013 | Member of the Board, educational policy matters
The Student Union of Satakunta University of Applied Sciences
2012 | Chairman of the Board
2014 | Chairman of Council of Representatives
2012 & 2014 | Member of the Internal Board of Satakunta University of Applied Sciences
Boliden Harjavalta Oy
2016 | Thesis: Development Needs Recognition for Quality Management System
From operating systems to digital services
Entering global B2B operations
I joined Framery with the intention of working in quality management, but my background led to an initial role in sales coordination. This proved to be a strong foundation, giving me hands-on exposure to global B2B sales, dealer networks, and operational execution in an international environment.
Sales Coordinator
2016-2017 | Sales Team
Creating a positive impact on customer experience by supporting sales personnel and distribution partners from the moment a new order is received.
Operational excellence and systems leadership
As my understanding of the organization deepened, I transitioned into quality and operations leadership. As Quality Manager and later Development & Corporate Responsibility Manager, I built Framery's operating system, led the achievement of ISO 9001, 14001, and 45001 certifications, and delivered the company's first Sustainability Report. This work provided a comprehensive view of the end-to-end value chain and strengthened my ability to lead cross-functional development at scale.
During the ownership transition, I became a minority shareholder as part of a key talent retention and engagement initiative, which further strengthened my ownership mindset and focus on long-term company value.
Quality Manager
2017-2018 | Extended Management Team
Leading a team of 6 responsible for the development of ISO 9001 compliance Quality management system and its processes. Key focus areas included improving supplier quality, running the cross-functional Quality Improvement Team (QIT), and overseeing the test assembly process.
Development & Corporate Responsibility Manager
2018-2020 | Processes Function
Led a team of 4 responsible for the development and maintenance of Framery's operating system and its certified management systems in Quality, Environmental, and Health & Safety Management (ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001). Enabled effective risk management and transparent, fact-based sustainability communication (GRI).
Leading digital services and customer success
As Framery's strategy increasingly emphasized customer experience and digital services, I identified a gap in ownership and proposed a new role focused on customer experience development. This led me to take responsibility for customer journeys and later the discovery and delivery of digital services.
I led the digital services initiative through early development, governance, and pilot phases, to the point where responsibilities were formalized into distinct Product and Customer Success roles. I then focused on building Customer Success and Sales operations, later also taking responsibility for Technical Support
This phase combined digital product development, service commercialization, and team building — ultimately leading to the first subscription-based digital service sales.
Customer Experience Manager
2020-2021 | Product Function
As the project owner for developing a new digital platform at Framery, I ensured that customer experience and business goals were perfectly aligned in the design of features and functionalities. I coordinated closely with the project team, steering group, and outsourced developers and UI designers.
Additionally, I led Framery's largest aftercare project. This initiative involved training and equipping around 30 Framery employees who traveled to 12 countries, visited 130 customers, and serviced 900 phone booths and meeting pods. I was committed to delivering a first-class customer experience at every touchpoint.
Manager, Customer Success
2021-2024 | Digital Offerings & Services Function
I led a multinational team of 18, overseeing customer success management, technical support, and sales for Framery's workplace technology suite. We delivered value-added services to ensure customers maximized the benefits of their next-generation smart pods and achieved their desired outcomes with digital solutions. Our focus was on guiding customers toward premium service upgrades while also providing prompt technical support for any questions related to digital services or physical products.
By closely representing customer needs and feedback, we played a key role in collaborating with Product Management and Software Engineering to evolve the service from a single-feature platform into a comprehensive smart office solution.
Choosing the next growth challenge
After 7.5 years at Framery, I began to crave a bigger change. I was looking for a role where I could both apply my experience and build something new — particularly in SaaS business.
Executive leadership in a growth-stage SaaS company
I joined Buildie to combine Customer Success leadership with building and scaling service business in a new industry, as a member of the management team. The role offered the right balance of familiarity and challenge: continuing to work with SaaS and customer value, while developing professional services and operating models in a new context.
At Buildie, I work across Customer Success, Support, and Service Business development at leadership-team level, with a strong focus on scalability, data-driven execution, and preparing the organization for sustainable growth.
Director, Service Business
November 2024 | Management Team
Oversee and drive the company's customer success and support functions, managing the service business as a whole and leading its continuous development.
Lessons learned
- Chase what sparks your interest
You'll rarely go wrong by following your passion. - Embrace change
Change is always beneficial, even if every step isn't perfect. Growth comes from trying new things and taking risks. - Be your own advocate
Don't just wait for opportunities to find you — speak up and make them happen. - Build a team that enjoys working together
A high-performance team isn't made up of the most experienced and skilled individuals; it's a team that thrives on collaboration, mutual respect, and a shared commitment to excellence. In such teams, laughter is part of the daily routine, and there's an unspoken trust that everyone is doing their best.