Minna Pirkkanen to take the helm of the Port of Turku
The Port of Turku Ltd has appointed Minna Pirkkanen, M.Sc., as Managing Director. Minna Pirkkanen received a Master of Science in Environmental and Energy Technology from the Tampere University of Technology and has extensive experience from management positions in the technology sector in Finland and abroad.
Minna, who views herself as a heartfelt citizen of Turku, started work at the Port of Turku on 25 May, following the retirement of Erik Söderholm.
Product development and research from a customer perspective
Prior to coming to the Port of Turku, Minna Pirkkanen worked a long period at the Sandvik Group, known for its mining and infrastructure equipment.
“I worked for Sandvik a whopping sixteen years. At first, I worked in Turku in product development, after which I was made responsible for the development of product lifecycle models and the provision of lifecycle services to customers. One major task was developing the product catalogue to meet customer needs and environmental requirements as diesel machinery was gradually replaced by battery-operated ones. Procedural and organisational development were also part of my duties”, Minna Pirkkanen recalls from her early career.
Minna trained personnel at the Sandvik Mine Academy to better understand customer operations and think about their own work in a customer-oriented manner.
Commercialising technology and services globally
Continuing education, heading up large-scale change and growth projects and years abroad provided expertise in strategic business and international trade. The first post took Minna to California, where Sandvik bought a company manufacturing batteries designed especially for mining equipment in 2019.
“During my year in California, I was tasked with integrating the new company into the overall operations of the Sandvik Group. This work gave me more knowledge about the business’ key support functions, such as IT and HR services. Following my return from California and a short stay in Finland, I continued to Amsterdam to take charge of Sandvik’s global spare parts and aftermarket services.”
The COVID-19 pandemic brought about a return to Finland, where Minna Pirkkanen was offered a new, interesting position with the Kone Corporation. Things moved quickly following a headhunter contact, and for the past four and a half years, Minna has been in charge of the global modernisation catalogue for Kone elevators. In service commercialisation, the key has been to understand and explain to the customer the added value it brings, which Minna Pirkkanen sees as significant for all business.
Strong motivation to develop the Port of Turku’s business
The position of Managing Director of the Port of Turku immediately attracted Minna’s interest. First, she thought she would be at a disadvantage, since she would most likely not receive points for knowledge about port operations.
“I still decided to call Erik Söderholm and ask if having a son working as first mate on a cargo ship in the Baltic Sea and North Sea would count as knowledge about the sector. Erik thought it would, so I summoned up the courage to send in an application, and here we are now”, Minna laughs, knowing that it was her experience in strategic business, customer-oriented commercialisation and organisational development that ultimately tilted the scales.
Minna Pirkkanen is extremely motivated for her new position. The Ferry Terminal Turku project is nearing completion and the cargo harbour renovations are just around the corner.
“I believe that a fine era of growth is beginning at the port of Turku. Sizeable investments are opening up new possibilities that we can utilise by working together towards our growth objective. In the future, I see the Port of Turku as a strong supporter and reliable partner for local and regional business and as an active part of the City of Turku, providing services for both travellers and residents.”
Text: Kari Ahonen
Photos: Markku Koivumäki
Minna Pirkkanen
- The new Managing Director of the Port of Turku, Minna Pirkkanen, actively engages in music and exercise. Her family includes a Navy Drum Major husband and two adult children. Her son is about to graduate as a sea captain from Novia and her daughter is studying to be a church musician at Sibelius Academy.
- Minna herself has been involved in music since childhood. In addition to her main instrument, the flute, she has taught herself the French horn as an adult and plans to join a wind orchestra in Turku.
- She engages in a variety of exercise, ranging from tennis to cross-country skiing, depending on the season. In her own words, she is not really that good at any single sport but is happy to try everything.
