Hanna, could you tell us a little about what you do at Outokumpu?
I am the Vice President at the Business Development unit. Our function is responsible for the management and coordination of the Group's Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) activities as well as pursuing other business development initiatives set by the Corporate Management.

What was your motivation for applying?
I worked at a leading Nordic corporate finance house earlier and thought that working in business development for an industrial company would allow me to utilise the skills I had gained – and also broaden my perspective and expertise. I considered Outokumpu an interesting employer as the Group was entering a new growth phase and looking at expansion opportunities internationally. I also knew Outokumpu, and several people working here, from projects where I was an advisor to the company as a part of my earlier work.

Could you tell us something about your responsibilities?
The responsibilities depend on the projects that we work on at any given moment. We aim to find attractive acquisition targets or potential co-operation partners to be studied further. This is often performed in co-operation with business units. We also manage the evaluation processes, which may then lead to transactions. In the transaction phase, we participate in due diligence review, valuation, preparing the necessary documentation, negotiations, integration planning and any other task needed for a successful acquisition. We also coordinate the efforts related to any non-core holdings that the Group has and may wish to divest. In addition, we give our input to the Group’s strategy work.
I report to Kalle Luoto, who is Senior Vice President and responsible for M&A and Business Development in Outokumpu. With him, I make a team of two with the focus on M&A and co-operate with business units and various functions in the Group – such as legal affairs, controller’s office, treasury, tax and IR & communications.

What are your formal and personal qualifications for this job?
I graduated from the Helsinki School of Economics, majoring in finance. After mygraduation, I worked seven years in an investment bank where we advised clients in M&A transactions and various equity capital market transactions. My base was Helsinki, Finland, and for a while Oslo, Norway. This experience makes an excellent basis for my current work. Fluent English is required and other languages are a good extra.
In addition to good inter-personal skills, my work requires ability to manage complex projects, sufficient attention to detail while understanding the broader perspective and often an ability to prioritize. You need to understand where to focus, take responsibility and own initiative. Naturally, knowledge of Outokumpu’s business and the stainless steel industry as well as technical expertise in M&A transactions and business sense are essential. I also need a good knowledge of M&A processes and an understanding of financial and legal aspects related to transactions, as well as good negotiation skills.

Are there any special possibilities and advantages with your job?
Outokumpu is an inspiring work environment as the Group is seeking growth and broadening its presence – also to new geographic areas. We have an excellent basis for this from our strong position in the stainless steel market and steady financial position. The spirit is good and there are many very skilful colleagues to learn from.

And, finally, what would you tell a possible future colleague about Outokumpu and this job?
Outokumpu offers a wide range of interesting challenges in an international environment. You are encouraged to develop yourself and broaden, as well as deepen, your skills.