While you can find our entire team on this website, we think those short biographies don’t do them justice. This month’s colleague in the spotlight: Jonne Mäkikyrö!
What did you do before you joined Aexus?
‘I come from Finland, but I studied International Business in Sweden at Umeå University, specializing in business development and internationalization. I did an exchange semester in the University of Groningen and interned at the Finnish-British Chamber of Commerce in London. During my studies I helped a few startup projects, but they didn’t really develop. After graduation I did sales at an American IT company.
Did you always want to live abroad?
‘In Finland, everyone is obligated to fulfill military service. After finishing high school, I first joined the defense forces for a year. When that year had passed, I wanted to do something abroad and get out of Finland for a while. After studying in Sweden and Groningen and interning in London, it felt natural to continue the internationality and move to the Netherlands.’
What is being a Finnish person at a Dutch company like?
‘I find it very interesting to see that Dutch are quite okay with conflict. People are okay with disagreement. In the Nordics people are much more consensus-orientated. Out of the Nordic countries, the Finnish people are very direct, but still often avoid negative subjects. I value honesty and the ability to be direct, so being in the Netherlands is a good cultural fit.’
What does a typical day at Aexus look like?
‘I wake up at 5 am, drink a green smoothie and run to work! No, just kidding. But I do try to start early and get ahead of things, and I usually focus on one or two partners every day. I usually have meetings with prospects and calls with partners about a variety of things. In that sense, you could say every day is more or less the same – but because you work on different technologies and different companies every day, the repetition stays interesting.’
Do you have any goals for the future?
‘I would love to help Aexus grow its business in the Nordics even further. Nordic people are forward-looking and ready for new ideas, which means that innovations can be implemented quickly. Maybe, at some point, I could even help set up an office in the Nordics. While I am happy living in Amsterdam, I definitely see myself living in Finland again. Not right now, but at some point in the future.’
