Alumna Anna Loimusalo: Colourful career path has led to the field of anti-financial crime

Landing a career in finance by chance

I graduated with an MSc in Economics and Business Administration in the summer of 2019. My career path has been colourful and anything but straightforward. I have been guided in my career by my fearlessness and belief in myself – I've had the courage to try new things and speak up at the right times. 

During my career, I have seen the inside workings of many different types of organisations and have worked as a freelancer, as well as in start-ups, large companies, and consulting. My extensive experience from different organisations and work communities, as well as the enormous feeling of success gained from self-employment, have given me confidence in my work and taught me how to face various situations.

After working in an anti-financial crime project for a client, I got the opportunity in January 2021 to move to OP Financial Group's AFC Unit, where I was tasked with forming a new team. I enjoyed my new work from the get-go, as in my first role, I was able to shape the team's operations, and how we would carry out the tasks assigned to us.

I am currently working as a Business Developer in the Know Your Customer department. In my role, I manage both large and small projects in the Know Your Customer department. The projects focus on developing systems, capabilities, and processes to ensure that anti-financial crime measures at OP are effective, and OP complies with the relevant regulations, guidelines and practices in customer due diligence and anti-money laundering. In my role, I have the opportunity to work with a wide range of experts, from software developers to lawyers."

Building expertise through international student experiences and student organisations 

Aalto University offers plenty of opportunities for gaining international experience, and during my studies, I took up each and every one of the opportunities I was offered. I completed my bachelor exchange at Thammasat University in Bangkok, my master's exchange at the University of Navarra in Spain and the internship included in my curriculum in a UK start-up based in Bali. In addition, Aalto and its student organisation activities offered amazing opportunities to represent the university abroad, and I participated in three visits to the US, including an innovation forum on solutions to global challenges organised by Thomas Jefferson University. My internship and exchange studies abroad have demonstrated a certain confidence and curiosity to employers and helped me gain the necessary communication skills for working in a multicultural environment. 

During my studies, I had the courage to challenge myself as the corporate relations officer of the Aalto ISM student organisation in 2015. In that role, I was in charge of the organisation's event sales to companies – mostly consulting agencies. The experience taught me a lot about sales work and cold calling and was very helpful for my career. Thanks in part to the networks formed through this role, I was employed in management consulting at the end of my studies. I first became acquainted with anti-financial crime in this role, which sparked a desire to continue my career in finance. My major subject studies in information and service management were also rooted in practice: case-based courses at Aalto steered my journey to the world of consulting, and I have actively used the methodologies taught in analytics courses in my work.

In hindsight, I feel I should have made more use of the cross-disciplinary study opportunities offered by Aalto, particularly in the field of information technology. Even though my role does not involve coding software, an understanding of databases and how they operate is an important part of the ability to see the big picture and dependencies in my work. At OP Financial Group, such expertise is valued in many different divisions in addition to anti-financial crime. So, I encourage current and new Aalto students to use opportunities to study subjects other than their major – broadening your expertise is never a bad thing. 

Courage and curiosity continue to drive my career 

I prefer not to make detailed career plans, as I believe that curiosity and courage will take me forward. By getting to know new people and things and taking up interesting opportunities, I ensure that my career develops both horizontally and vertically. That said, I hope that I can continue in tasks that involve managing large wholes, learning about new and tackling meaningful issues, as is the case in my current role. 

You can find out more about Anna’s career on LinkedIn!