”Picking courses for my studies I feel like a kid in a candy store” – Casper Suovalo on completing his Master of Hospitality Management studies

- I have 15 years of work experience within the hospitality industry, mainly dealing with customer experience in restaurants, says Suovalo.

- I also have a Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management. Completing my Bachelor’s, I did practical training periods involving travel marketing and found that very inspiring.

The travel industry is still close to his heart. But what truly drives Casper Suovalo is change, especially the big, scary one that begins with the letter C. Doesn’t he find it contradictory to fight climate change while promoting travel?

- It’s essential to enhance Corporate Sustainability in all business fields, including the travel industry, Suovalo points out.

- For example, Circular Economy and Artificial Intelligence possess huge amounts of potential in order to make this happen.

According to Suovalo, Haaga-Helia’s Master’s degree programme offers an ideal learning environment to do research on these particular matters. He is pleased with the well-qualified teaching and pragmatical approach concerning the studies.

Win-Win and Win

For adult students such as Casper Suovalo, studies and working life often become entwined. According to him, it’s easy to stay motivated recognizing all learning will benefit working – and vice versa. Whereupon it’s only logical that Suovalo’s new business idea and his Thesis both deal with the same topic, Platform Business.

- Platform Business operators such as Über and Air B’n’B are a booming phenomenon. It’s about bringing together private service providers and their customers. In this field, a lot of innovations concerning Corporate Sustainability and Circular Economy are being developed as we speak.

In his Thesis, Suovalo does research on marketing within the Platform Business field. He and his student colleague also came up with a business idea on the same matter. Releasing it, they have just been accepted to be a part of NewCo Helsinki’s Accelerator programme. This enables Suovalo and his business partner to further develop the idea and get personal advice and business coaching concerning for example financing and growth.

- Three more Theses from Haaga-Helia are currently underway to be exploited in this project, which will take an official company form as soon as the COVID-19 situation has settled down.

This kind of opportunity to test and develop one’s ideas is only possible in consequence of the Master’s degree programme, says Casper Suovalo.

- It’s a true win-win situation for us entrepreneurs and for the committed students working on their Theses. And image-wise for Haaga-Helia as well.