Alum Hannu Huttunen: Curiosity and continuous learning led to leadership roles in the technology sector

Having built his career in the Oulu region, Hannu Huttunen now serves on company boards and works as Professor of Practice at the University of Oulu's Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering (ITEE). He considers the courage to ask questions and a willingness to learn to be essential working life skills, as no one can be expected to know everything when starting a new role.

Opening the door to international business

After graduating from OBS, he spent a short period at the university helping to develop the newly established business education programme. Although his doctoral studies had begun promisingly, they soon took a back seat when he was offered the opportunity to join Nokia Mobile Phones as a Business Controller. Working within Nokia's business unit opened the door to international business.

"I also served as secretary to the management team. I still remember my confusion when I realised I understood almost nothing of what the engineers were discussing in meetings," he recalls with a laugh.

The experience taught him an important lesson about working life:

"I have always wanted to learn and have never been afraid to ask questions. In my view, that is absolutely essential in working life, especially if you aspire to general management positions."

His next career move took him to NetHawk Plc, an Oulu-based technology company, where he became CEO. Moving from a large corporation to a considerably smaller company brought an entirely new set of responsibilities. At NetHawk, he led international corporate transactions and strategic transformation efforts at a time when both the market and operating environment were changing rapidly.

Strategic decisions creating new growth

The next major turning point in his career was joining Elektrobit, now known as Bittium, as President of the Wireless business unit.

Shortly after he took up the role, the company's largest customer went bankrupt. Later, Nokia Mobile Phones, its second-largest customer, also disappeared from its customer base. Once again, the situation required a significant strategic shift, and the company began developing its defence and cybersecurity products into a new long-term growth area.

Huttunen later became CEO of the listed company when Elektrobit sold its Automotive business and changed its name to Bittium. Through a series of corporate acquisitions and business arrangements, the company also expanded into the field of health technology.

"The world of listed companies, with its regulatory requirements and investor relations responsibilities, was also an incredibly valuable learning experience."

Analytical thinking is one of the most important skills

Throughout his career, Huttunen has often found himself drawing on the capabilities he gained from his business studies. His accounting studies provided a strong foundation for understanding finance, while knowledge of strategy, marketing and broad-based business management has also proven highly valuable.

However, he considers the ability to keep learning to be the most important of all:

"Analytical thinking and learning how to learn have been the most valuable skills throughout my career," he says.

According to Huttunen, curiosity, a willingness to learn and respect for other people are qualities that support success throughout an entire career.

He has witnessed the growth of the Oulu Business School first-hand since the early days when business education in Oulu was only just beginning. As an alum and a member of the OBS' Business Advisory Board, he is particularly keen to further strengthen collaboration between the university and the business community.