The world has been my playground for over 40 years 

As soon as I knew even a little English, , I started corresponding with people around the world. Over the following years I had pen pals in 55 countries, and some of them are still my friends today. In upper secondary school I decided I wanted to work in international trade, studied foreign languages and, after graduation, went to Munich as an au pair to broaden my view of the world. I came back feeling European.

I still travel and explore new countries. The history and culture of Egypt are among my special areas of expertise!

International business

After living in Germany, I studied international trade at business college level and, because of the recession in the 1990s, continued my studies further. I graduated as an interdisciplinary Master of Arts with a commercial focus, majoring in German and with an extensive minor in management and organisations. I wrote my marketing communications thesis for the Chamber of Commerce.

I am now studying to become an integrative transformational coach and expanding my coaching toolkit. The impact of the autonomic nervous system on wellbeing at work is both striking and critical!

I will start my client work practice in spring 2026, when I will take on pilot clients – if you are interested, feel free to contact me and ask for more information!

An open attitude to trying different roles  

I started doing short-term jobs at 16 with the idea that by doing very different kinds of work, I would learn best about my own strengths and interests. I have worked as a cleaner, park worker, au pair and home help in a German lawyers' family, interviewer of tourists around the city, data entry clerk for freight documents, handler of school photo returns, small-talk teacher in German for industrial workers, network marketer of natural skincare products, kitchen worker and English–Finnish translator. 

I completed my compulsory German language internship as an IAESTE secretary at the Technical University of Munich. 

I became familiar with working in the public sector as an education and social policy secretary in the student union, as a project worker at the university (to establish an engineering degree programme in the area), as a personnel planner, and as an international affairs coordinator at a university of applied sciences promoting students' internationalisation. 

My career led me to the marketing communications team of ABB Finland's protection relay factory, where I, among other things, wrote content and organised customer events. As part of a training programme for new talents, I went on a short assignment to Switzerland. I returned to Finland as the team leader of marketing communications before moving on to head the entire marketing department. The factory had global business responsibility and we delivered products to more than 100 countries. For years I worked closely with ABB sales channels and a wide range of external partners, as well as with product management and R&D.

My responsibilities included, among other things, product launches, news and announcements, events and trade fairs, web content and online channels, sales tools, purchasing from subcontractors and budgeting. I was also responsible for line management and HR tasks, and took part in various internal international projects and networks within the group. .

The broad scope of the work and finding different ways to communicate technical solutions still motivate me!

In addition to my line manager role, I was given responsibility for leading global marketing communications for the Distribution Automation business. Together with other factories, I developed our activities to better support global operations and new application areas. After a couple of years, I focused fully on the global role and on developing marketing communications together with, among others, the country units e.g. in India, the USA, Germany, Italy and Sweden. I had the opportunity to see the company's operations in 20 countries and to work closely with the head office.

Leading business in a way that fits the needs of different countries and cultures can be challenging at times, but supporting sales and promotion in such a multi-layered environment is incredibly rewarding! 

From digital products to services 

After working for 15 years with intelligent protection relays and distribution and grid automation, I also took on responsibility for developing marketing communications for the medium-voltage service business.

After moving into the Service business, the merger of two product groups and the acquisition of a business from another global player gave me additional perspectives on leading change. 

Our global management team included eight different nationalities, and aligning organisational cultures in day-to-day work reinforced the insights I had learned from Geert Hofstede. National cultures influence how people think, feel and behave, and they shape corporate cultures in different countries.

Over the years, I have had managers from several different nationalities. Leading people from different countries requires situational awareness and flexibility. But diversity really is a true asset!

HR and skills 

I have worked for years on acquiring the right kind of skills that support the company's strategy. For me, carrying out recruitment both from the company's and the applicant's perspective is a concrete part of a positive employer image. 

When choosing the right person, it is important to keep in mind what kind of skills already exist in the team. A suitably different applicant can bring something that the company did not even know it needed. A CV never tells the whole story about a person! A diverse age range is an essential way to ensure that people's skills complement each other in an optimal way. 

It is always very rewarding to find the most suitable applicant for an open role who is also genuinely motivated about the new position! 

Almost 20 years of hands-on international work – 95% of it carried out in English (and Swedish), both spoken and written – have strengthened my multicultural skills. I am at my best in international assignments, including those that are unclear or pioneering. I understand promotion in the manufacturing industry and the B2B world, as well as managing international sales networks and the competence needs of the business. I am also familiar with the needs of product management, product development, manufacturing and corporate communications.

I understand promotion in the manufacturing and B2B world, how to manage international sales networks, and what skills the business needs to succeed. I am also familiar with the needs of product management, product development, manufacturing, and corporate communications.

In addition to English, I speak Swedish and German, and Finnish is my native language.

I dare say that I am quite a compact combination of international business, strategic marketing communications and technology!