Jarmo Hakala

Jarmo has extensive and hands-on experience working with both SMEs and international corporations. He supports his clients in finding key executives and specialists, particularly in situations that call for growth, commercial renewal, or the development of a customer-centric operating model. For Jarmo, executive search is above all about understanding business – not just comparing CVs. He delves into what kind of leader is genuinely capable of changing direction, building a committed organisation, and implementing change in practice.

Jarmo has a strong background in managing and developing business operations, customer relationships, sales, and customer experience. His areas of expertise also include marketing, consulting, process development, service development, as well as building digital channels and self-service models. He has held significant leadership and development roles in industry and the IT/ICT sector, with responsibilities ranging from strategic development and change management to broad business management tasks and leading multidisciplinary expert teams. Through this experience, he has a precise understanding of situations where the quality of leadership directly influences a company’s profitability and competitiveness.

Jarmo’s industry knowledge covers, among others, the forest and biomaterials sector, industrial manufacturing, telecommunications, IT and service business, logistics, and transportation. He is familiar with the complexity of B2B environments and understands the capabilities and leadership skills genuinely required in different situations.

Jarmo’s special expertise lies in the assessment of leaders, managers, and specialists. He recognises what kind of leader can inspire people, makes decisions based on data, and translates strategy into practical action. In his executive search projects, he draws on his extensive experience of everyday leadership and focuses on those factors that truly determine business success. His strengths are considered to be his deep understanding of people leadership – he is described as inspiring and convincing, and he himself emphasises collaboration, openness, and coaching leadership in building a high-performance culture.