Hanna Kuusela describes herself as a generalist whose career has been a combination of luck, coincidence and seeking new challenges.
Her career path has led from the financial administration department of a Finnish legacy company to sustainability projects at an international consulting group and eventually to technology start-ups.
“I’ve always sought new things. Jumping into a new business takes you out of your comfort zone, but as a generalist, you learn how to navigate new circumstances.”
Hanna’s dive into the world of IT happened just before the beginning of the global pandemic. As the sales manager at Orangit, she was supposed to network and represent the company in various events.
Suddenly all events were put on hold. In a tight spot, the support from the Bravedo community was valuable.
“Building new networks during covid was challenging. Getting new contacts is one of the reasons why I find Bravedo so valuable.”
Hanna was actively involved in Bavedo’s technology community champs group. It was there where she first heard that another Bravedo company, Snowfox, was developing a tool for calculating carbon footprint.
“I sent them a message, saying that I have a background in this and would love to hear more about the project. And at some point, I said, dammit, what if I just come and work for you!”
At Snowfox, Hanna gets to put all her previous experience to use. Her background in financial administration helps her to understand how Snowfox routes purchase invoices automatically, and her experience in sustainability is valuable in developing and selling the Carbofox tool.
“It sounded like a damn fine opportunity. During my time at Orangit, I’d gotten a taste of the IT world, so the software company environment didn’t feel too bad, either. Nothing you learn ever goes to waste.”
As a Development Manager, Hanna spends her days developing and selling Carbonfox and managing pilot projects. The tool has already been received well among companies and media.
In her new role, Hanna can use all her previous experience, but she admits that there is still a lot to learn.
“Artificial intelligence and product management are areas where I want to develop. It’s cool to grow, learn and see.”
Hanna says that switching to tech start-ups was a big change culturally. The ways of working and the level of commitment are very different from a big corporation or a Big Four consultancy group.
“Jumping into a new business takes you out of your comfort zone, but as a generalist, you learn how to navigate new circumstances.”
“Building a strong team is at the core of everything, and it shows. I’m awed by how much effort is put into it and how wonderful the results are because of it.”
Started economics studies in Helsinki, taking every possible corporate responsibility course
Got a labrador, Lola, to enrich her life
Started working at Outokumpu in financial administration
Started working as a sustainability consultant at KPMG
Got her Master’s Degree
Started working at OrangIT
Started working as Development Manager at Snowfox
Ability to whisk up tasty food from basically nothing. This has proven handy during the pandemic. And reducing food waste is good for the planet, too.
Our first customer pilot at Snowfox. It was awesome to try out Carbonfox with iLOQ and N4C, and we got some great results to complement iLOQ’s sustainability work.
Announcing it in public will put on necessary pressure, so: I will learn to run so that I can run a half marathon at the end of next summer.