Customer stories
4 Dec 2024

A giant leap in leadership culture towards the vision

A giant leap in leadership culture towards the vision

Elo's journey towards the top of the industry relies on a strong vision and bold leadership. The leadership development programme Quantum Leap combines academic knowledge, the best practices from the corporate world, and Elo's strategic priorities. This tailored programme develops leadership, supports personal growth, and creates a unified leadership culture – step by step towards the company's goal of being the most attractive pension company.


What kind of leadership is needed when a company aims for the brightest peak in the industry? Elo's vision is to be the most attractive pension company. Realising this vision requires bold and innovative leadership. Elo's vision for 2023–2025 is not just a plan on paper – it is a promise of courage, renewal, and community-based leadership. CEO Carl Pettersson believes that success requires the commitment of the entire staff, a shared goal, and above all, a new kind of leadership. For this reason, Elo's management team decided to invest in a tailored development programme that helps implement the strategy in practice and strengthens Elo's unified and inspiring leadership culture.

The programme was a great mix of the latest academic insights and best practices from the business world brought by Hanken & SSE, combined with Elo's own focus areas and expertise.


Carl has been heavily involved in both the planning and implementation of the programme. Alongside him is Elina Heliö, Chief People and Culture Officer at Elo. Elina discusses the choice of Hanken & SSE Executive Education as a partner and the joint planning of the programme. The goal was to create a high-quality programme tailored to Elo's needs. ”Before the first round and after each module, we gathered as a steering group and carefully refined the content of the modules. Other members of Elo's management team agreed to act as internal sponsors of the programme modules. In this way, the programme was a great mix of the latest academic insights and best practices from the business world brought by Hanken & SSE, combined with Elo's own focus areas and expertise", says Elina.

Quantum Leap – the new leadership programme

The programme name Quantum Leap reflects the significant leap that Elo is boldly taking during this strategic period. The goal of the programme is to develop strategic thinking, influence the operating environment, embrace new knowledge, have the courage to take personal risks, and the ability to inspire others to join in the change. Although the programme's name mentions a leap, the development is long-term. The first implementation of the programme started in 2023, and the second – currently underway – began in the summer of 2024.

It has been wonderful to witness the participants' development throughout the journey. The strong involvement of top management in the planning and their presence on-site sends a powerful message to the participants about how important leadership and its development are seen within the company


As a result of careful joint planning, a nine-month journey was created, during which the selected participants meet approximately every couple of months in programme modules focused on different themes, most of which are two days long. In between the modules, intermediate tasks are also completed in groups where participants have not previously worked in their daily routines. Participants are selected from among the applicants to ensure a broad perspective from different units and functions. This allows for the integration of different units, and the meetings will continue even after the programme through networking and alumni activities.

Program Director Hannamari Kuosa has been closely involved in the planning and implementation of the programme. She emphasises the commitment of the participants. ”I have seen such strong engagement from the programme participants that it is easy to believe the company's vision will be realised. It has been wonderful to witness the participants' development throughout the journey. The strong involvement of top management in the planning and their presence on-site sends a powerful message to the participants about how important leadership and its development are seen within the company.”

Personal growth and leadership development to support work capacity

Nina Soikkeli, Service Director, who participated in the first round, says she has never participated in such a well-tailored programme before in her career. "After each module I thought, and probably said out loud, that this topic had been the best of the training so far. It says a lot about how relevant the topics were for Elo," laughs Nina.

Elina Heliö was also a participant in the programme's first round in addition to her role as a sponsor. She emphasises that the programme has strengthened internal networks while deepening the participants' overall understanding of Elo's business. She has already noticed other practically visible impacts as well. Elina explains how the tools learned during the programme have been actively adopted within the company. One example of this is the OKR model (Objectives and Key Results), which is a framework for implementing strategy into practice. All of us participants also made leadership promises, which we have begun to put into practice," Elina continues. "Overall, Quantum Leap is a way to inspire those involved in leadership work to engage in continuous learning and personal growth. It provides tools to support leadership, encourages courage to embrace the new, and motivates people to join in a shared journey. It effectively connects Elo's goals for strategic progress with the individual's opportunities to grow as a leader.”, Elina summarises.


During the programme, it was wonderful to see what amazing people we have.


Also, Marianna Ahola, Director of Customer Experience and Marketing, was a participant in the programme's first round. "It was great to stop and reflect deeply on the values that are important to you and through which you want to lead. During the programme, it was great to discover what great people we have. But the most impressive thing was the growth of collective courage along the way. Participants were brave and put themselves out there, and this helped us to think together in bold new ways."

According to Marianna, leadership development is a key part of maintaining work capacity. "Companies that invest in leadership and work capacity will always succeed. At Elo, we want to set an example of good leadership in our own work community," says Marianna.

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Image for Minna Rosendahl
Minna Rosendahl
Account Director, Business Coach
+358 40 846 4853 minna.rosendahl(a)hankensse.fi
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