Alumni stories: Finance

Anton Jantunen's journey led him from major consulting firms and startups to working in Nairobi at the UN Sanitation and Hygiene Fund, which aims to improve access to safe sanitation, hygiene, and menstrual health products and services. Jantunen works with innovative financing models for the fund.

Our alumna Riikka Davidkin dreamed of an international career already as a child. Now, as head of a team investing in impact funds at Social Finance in New York, she feels that her work has great significance. In her mind, it is the financial sector that is best positioned to have an impact on solving the big problems of our time.

Our alumnus Mikko Jääskeläinen, who majored in Creative Sustainability and also studied finance, ended up working in management consulting after graduation. While in that position, he became fascinated by transport and real estate infrastructure projects, which led him to a job involving urban economy and land use general planning for the City of Helsinki, and from there, a position at the Ministry of Transport and Communications. The best parts of his job are the interesting tasks and his knowledgeable colleagues.

School of Business alumnus Atte Heikkilä, who pursues an international career as a project manager in Sweden and Senior Client Success Manager in Spain, participated in the Aalto mentoring program as a mentor. He recommends the program both to students and alumni: ‘Join the program with an open mind and challenge your own and the mentor's possible presumptions.’

‘I feel that I have received a lot from the School for life, and without Kauppis, I certainly would not be in that place in life where I am now.’

'For me, meaningfulness comes from the fact, that I feel that I am doing good things that change the world for the better in small steps, but also from the various encounters and atmosphere I create in my workplace every day,' says our finance alumna Hanna Hovi, who currently works as the Director of Mental Health Services at Mehiläinen.

The School of Business Alumni Advisory Board member Jaakko Eteläaho has done a long career as an investment banker among mergers & acquisitions and says that the Finance studies have been extremely useful in his career. In addition to Alumni Advisory Board, Eteläaho has been part of Aalto Alumni Network Board and is also one of the founders of Aalto Finance Alumni association. “I encourage all alumni to be active alumni, as it is a lot of fun and widens one’s perspectives.”

School of Business alumnus Arno Paula started his own company together with two friends. Their company Ambronite tries to help people achieve permanent change of lifestyle by developing drinkable meal replacement.

“As an alumna, I have the possibility to stay connected and up-to-date on the latest developments in the field of business studies and future prospects”, says our Alumni Ambassador Maarit Vilen.

Internships abroad spurred our alumnus Kari Janhunen to seek work abroad. He has spent 20 years of his work career abroad in different positions within international finance.