Fireside chat with Teemu Tunkelo

I had the privilege of interviewing Teemu Tunkelo, a very experienced executive who is humble at the same time. He is the CEO of SSH Communications - a public listed company since 2000. He had been driving digitalization as CTO and EVP, Platform Services of Voith.

He is a boy scout and a global business leader in IT and communications technology space. He holds a MSc in Engineering from Aalto university and a PhD in Economics from University of Lausanne. Teemu left Finland in 1967 with his family when his father had a work assignment in the Soviet Union. He has lived for most of his adult life outside of Finland and in the last 20 years close to Zürich in Switzerland. 

We had a really good chat and Teemu has insightful thoughts as we chatted.

Nicole: What is your passion in work and business?

Teemu: My greatest passion is lifelong learning. The second most important is to get people excited about the company’s vision and the small concrete steps to reach the vision. The greatest challenge I want to face is to get a company or a business to change towards the better – for its customers, employees, owners and the society.

Nicole: Which are the areas where you could help others in the Kaato group?

Teemu: I have been helping Kaato group get new, meaningful contacts in the DACH region to support the mission of Kaato, especially in getting cross-border co-operation running and specifically to achieve foreign investments in Finnish engineering capabilities and experience.

Nicole: After this era of digitalization and transformations, what do you see as a next big hurdle for companies globally to overcome?

Teemu: The largest hurdle is that most of senior leadership and board members have lived their youth in the times before digitalization, so it is difficult for them to understand that the rules of the game in changed business models, job roles, as well as entry and exit barriers. The younger generation has grown up with digitalization, so they have problems explaining the digitalized world and its operational logic to their senior management.

The story of the Digiphant

Nicole: In your work in strategy and transformation, what is the one thing that is most unexpected along the way or as an outcome?

Teemu: I think the most difficult thing is that many people do not understand that the transformation to sustainable digital world business takes years to build organically and a lot of money inorganically.

It seems that companies that are good in building physical products just cannot manage software businesses.

The third one is the picture above. Few people understand the “Digiphant”, i.e. the dimensions and elements of digitalization. If you have heard of the ancient Indian story of blind men meeting an elephant for the first time in their life. One touches the leg, and thinks it is a tree, the next one touches the tail and thinks it is a rope. The third touches the nose and thinks it is a snake, The fourth touches the chest and thinks it is a wall…

The transformation to sustainable digital world business takes years to build organically and a lot of money inorganically.

Let those who have lived abroad and learnt different business cultures take important leadership positions in Finland

Nicole: What do you think is an area of improvement for Finland to grow its economic presence in Europe and internationally?

Teemu: Let the Finns who have lived their business lives abroad – often in larger circles – and learnt different business cultures and interpersonal relationship building take important leadership positions in Finland.

Understand the need of investment, local presence based on local people abroad helped by Finns. And remember that one should understand the risk/reward equation in international expansion. Send young people abroad to learn. Do not build presence in a new market without a local partner and/or acquisition. Sending Finns out, like Vikings went once upon a time, does not usually work in practice. 

Finland has loyal employees.

Nicole: If there is one thing that you can do to change how Finland is promoted, what would it be?

Teemu: Highlight that Finland has loyal employees, especially engineers in the engineering, biotech, healthcare and gaming industries, that Finland is well suited for engineering heavy long-cycle markets, good in old and new IT technologies, radio communications and logistical solutions especially in supply chain management.

Nicole: What would you suggest are the top 3 skills or capabilities that are most important for young adults to manage and thrive in our very dynamic business and working environment today?

Teemu:

1.      Learn languages and live abroad.

2.      Have the will and make an effort for continuous (lifelong) learning,

3.      Find a hobby or lifestyle passion outside of business that gives you better work-life balance

Nicole: What is your pet project or something you like to do? 

Teemu: I would like to see SSH Communications Security to reach its full business potential with its current portfolio after years of effort.

The last words we got from Teemu are:

"Vision without action is merely a dream.

Action without vision just passes the time.

Vision with action can change the world."

- Joel A. Baker -

https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/teemu-tunkelo-a99162/