Merja Rissanen returns to Finnfund as Chief People Officer: “Culture does not emerge on its own”

Merja Rissanen has been appointed as Chief People Officer at Finnfund and joins the company’s management team. Her return to Finnfund after more than a decade is not only a professionally meaningful step but also carries a personal aspect. “What Finnfund does and what we stand for was already significant ten years ago. It left a mark in me. When I heard that Finnfund was looking for someone to lead the People & Culture team and bring HR to the management team level, it signaled a genuine appreciation for HR matters. I found it very compelling,” Rissanen explains.

Merja Rissanen last worked at Finnfund in 2014, when the organisation was half the size and entirely Finnish, although investments were being made in developing countries. Now she returns to a multicultural, internationally operating organisation where English is the working language and besides the headquarter in Helsinki, there is a local office in Nairobi, Kenya. “It was a pleasant surprise to see how international Finnfund has become. It reflects a desire to grow and to view the world from beyond Helsinki.”

Although the organisation has grown, Rissanen still recognises the same cultural traits as before: committed, intelligent and highly educated professionals with a strong culture of getting things done.

Her task is to make the strategic elements of HR more visible and to develop the organisational culture together with the staff. She emphasises that culture does not emerge on its own – it requires conscious leadership, everyday actions and interaction. “Organisational culture is everything that happens when no one is watching. How I treat the cleaner, how managers lead, how people interact with one another.”

Rissanen has started by meeting all the supervisors and wants to continue listening to the staff to understand who Finnfund’s people are and what is needed for the future. She will spend her first few months listening, learning and getting to know the organisation.

Rissanen has a long and varied career in HR roles at Finnair, Stockmann, Restel and Alko, where she served as HR Director. For the past three years, she worked at Greenstep as a consultant and in interim roles, particularly in medium-sized organisations, where she felt very much at home. “I realised that I prefer organisations where you can get to know people by name. It’s easier to manage the whole and you can genuinely make an impact in development projects.”

Rissanen hopes that Finnfund will become known for good leadership and a workplace culture where people can grow professionally. “What we do at Finnfund has a significant impact. I hope we continue to be a workplace that people want to return to.”