School of Business donor stories: Tiina and Ari Mäkelä

The current couple Kristiina (hereafter Tiina, as she is called) and Ari Mäkelä began their studies at the School of Business in 1989. They both majored in international marketing. Immediately after the first year, Tiina and Ari joined the activities of the Student Union KY, and active participation in KY was one of the most memorable things for both during their studies. Ari first worked at KY as Sports Secretary for a year and then as Chairman of the Board. After that, he was the chairman of the Finnish Student Union (SYL).

Both Tiina and Ari have wonderful memories from their student days, during which they made great friendships that have continued to this day. 'Student life and KY have been close to our hearts. We made a lot of good friends and we still have a crab party every year with our KY friends' says Tiina.

Ari's road leads to the banking world

Ari graduated with a master’s degree in 1994. His first job after graduation was McKinsey, where he worked for a year and a half. From McKinsey, Ari moved into the banking world, where he has worked for over 20 years and enjoyed himself very much.

Ari began his banking career at Citibank, followed by working at other banks such as Deutche Bank and Lehman Brothers in London. Ari describes working at Lehman Brothers as a really interesting and educational time - even though 2008 was quite a roller coaster ride. A little over 10 years ago, Ari returned to Citibank, where he currently leads the operations of the Nordic Investment Bank.

Ari says that there is a certain trinity that has helped him in his career, namely studies in business, student union activities and the soul of a competitive athlete. 'From the business studies, I gained a good knowledge base for my career and a structured way of working. Student union activities, in turn, taught me to work with people, and the background of a competitive athlete has brought a certain perseverance in doing.'

When Ari was studying at the School of Business, finance could not yet be studied as a major, and he had to work hard to master the concepts of the financial world. 'Investment banking can’t be learned from books, it’s more of a craft profession. The profession is the application of different theories and concepts,' says Ari.

Tiina's road takes her from the business world to university management positions

Tiina’s first job after graduation was Procter & Gamble, where she worked for about 10 years. During that time, Ari and Tiina lived in both Sweden and England, and had more children. They have altogether four children.

'When I graduated with a master’s degree in 1993, it didn’t even cross my mind to have an academic career,' says Tiina. 'However, writing my thesis felt very natural, so the idea of postgraduate studies stayed somewhere in the back of my mind. Then, when we first moved back to Finland in 2002, I wanted to try doing a dissertation, and I was swept away. When writing my dissertation, I found my calling and became a full-blooded academic,' she says.

Tiina received her PhD from the School of Business in 2006, after which she worked at Hanken and as a research visitor in England. Tiina returned to Aalto and the School of Business at the end of 2012. She is currently working as a provost at Aalto University, and feels that her work has a true meaning. At Aalto University, provost's task is to lead the processes related to research, teaching, innovations, and societal impact.

Tiina says that studies gave her a good foundation for her career. 'From the School of Business, you get good knowledge and skills for anything that you want to do as a business school graduate. If you want to become a judge, priest, or doctor, you shouldn't come to Kauppis, but you can do almost anything else with the Kauppis degree,' says Tiina.

During her studies, she also became interested in leadership, and was able to practice her leadership skills on the board of KY. Overall, leadership has been a key theme in Tiina’s career. While working in an international company, she was very interested in the dynamics between people in an international environment, and her dissertation is also related to issues around leadership. As a professor, Tiina specializes in international business and human resource management, and her professorship is at the department of management studies.

As alumni, you can still belong to the Kauppis community

Being an alumnus and alumna of the School of Business is important to Tiina and Ari. 'When we lived abroad, we disconnected from all networks for 10 years. Now that we have moved back to Finland, it has been great to reconnect with the alumni community. I am grateful for everything the school and the community represent, and it’s nice to be involved again,' says Ari. He sends greetings to all of Kauppis alumni: “Do return to the great Kauppis community! It's worth it, especially as a spiritual home!.”

As a provost, professor, and researcher at Aalto University, Tiina has many different roles at both the School of Business and Aalto University. She therefore feels that she is a representative for both Aalto and Kauppis. “Representing Aalto, Kauppis and the whole community inspires me and means a lot to me. Otaniemi is such a great place. It is great precisely because we have our three areas there,' she says. As a provost, Tiina also wants to highlight all the researchers at Aalto University who do a great job. 'We change the world in many ways, as we intended to do,' she says.