Sampsa Siitonen, CEO of Marvel Consulting Group and serial entrepreneur, will receive the Alum of the Year award at Finlandia Hall on December 18. Siitonen holds degrees in both International Business and Leading Business Transformation.
Haaga-Helia students, alumni, and current and retired staff voted Siitonen as the winner from among the finalists. Other finalists included Serial Entrepreneur and Founding Member Sami Benamed, CEO, Strategic Mentor and Writer Kati Huovinmaa, and Academy Director & Founder Pui Ying Law.
Growth entrepreneur and employer
Sampsa Siitonen has continued to cooperate closely with Haaga-Helia. He has coached students at StartUp School, taken Haaga-Helia students on internships at his company, and given inspiring presentations at events. Siitonen's active involvement was also reflected in the huge number of votes he received.
– It feels great! Wow, what an honor! It's wonderful that so many people in Haaga-Helia remembers me, says Siitonen upon hearing about his victory.
His heartfelt desire is to boost the economy nationwide. And forgetting the importance of networks.
– The most important thing for Finland is to actively support employment through growth entrepreneurship. That is how we will get the economy back on track! My own story with these themes began during my first year of studies, when I founded my first company with my fellow students. I strive to develop growth entrepreneurship through my own entrepreneurial activities, of course, but also through various positions of trust and other activities. I would also add the importance of networking to this. It is easier and more effective to do things together than alone, Siitonen notes.
The importance of networks and partnerships
Sampsa Siitonen encourages everyone to continue networking and working together. He recalls that networking was emphasized during his studies, but it was more difficult to understand at the time.
– Later in my working life, it has become very clear that networking is almost everything; especially when you are an entrepreneur, where important tasks include business development, sales, and recruitment. You need to know a lot of people if you want to succeed. And the more people you know, the more successful you will be. I would not have received this recognition without active networking, and I certainly would not be as successful in my work without it. It is easy for everyone at Haaga-Helia to start with their own fellow students and colleagues, Siitonen encourages.
The Haaga-Helia community is inspired by Siitonen's example.
– We want to offer Sampsa Siitonen's IT company, Marvel Consulting Group, a year's free partnership, says Kia Lindström, Account Manager.
– Hopefully, we will be able to further deepen our existing excellent cooperation, Lindström adds.
Bringing alumni expertise to the fore – join our webinar
The Alum of the Year award is presented annually to a distinguished Haaga-Helia alum. The criteria for selecting candidates include their impact on society, commitment to the university, and success in their field.
– We want to highlight the solid professional skills of our alumni who have graduated from our various programs. That's why we're holding this vote; so that everyone has the opportunity to get to know more alumni and their fields, says Alumni Relations Specialist Elina El Amrani.
– We consider this vote to be important. It was great to have graduates with degrees in hospitality management, business administration, and vocational teacher education represented in the final this time. The vote allows us to show our appreciation for our alumni, El Amrani continues.
There are many forms of cooperation with the Alum of the Year and the finalists. They speak at events related to careers and working life and participate in the university's activities. For anyone interested in Sampsa Siitonen's story and entrepreneurship, there will be a Haaga-Helia Alumni Talks webinar in Finnish on December 8 at 3–4 p.m. entitled Miten rakentaa kasvuyritys – osaaminen ja verkostot (How to build a growth company – expertise and networks). Register here and get inspired.
Sampsa Siitonen will be awarded the Alum of the Year award at Finlandia Hall on December 18. He will also give a speech to the graduating alumni there.
