Antje Rössler has been working for UPM since 1997. She started off as a Sales Assistant in Germany, then worked as an Export Manager, moved to Britain to work as a Domestic Sales Assistant and finally found her way to Tampere, Finland in 2008. Her most recent tasks have included working as a Payables Controller in the Purchase-to-Pay service team in UPM Finance. With the organisational change at UPM Finance her job description is about to change once again.
“In the Purchase-to-Pay team we are the connection between stakeholders and companies and coordinate their cooperation. We have a bunch of finance-related tasks. A lot of times it’s about overseeing that processes are followed correctly and everything goes by the book,” Antje explains. Also Antje’s future team of 15 people is hiring. “The work is very versatile. You can try planning your days, but it seldom works out like that,” she laughs. Being able to use her versatile language skills and the dynamic nature of the work are important for Antje. “Also, there have always been and there are a lot of opportunities for growth at UPM.”
Georgios Tsagklas is originally from Greece and has a dual citizenship. He has started at UPM Finance in Tampere in November 2016 as a Senior Manager. Before joining UPM he spent 14 years working in an American language technology company in Finland. “There are five people in our team and we oversee the preparation of Statutory Financial Statements and Income Tax Filings in Finland and the rest of the Nordics. We work closely with auditors to ensure we are compliant.” Working with UPM’s finances is no small task. The sheer volume of finance-related issues makes the work a little different. “UPM’s revenue is big and its business very international. Many companies have two or three accountants, UPM has two or three floors of Finance professionals! The big volumes alone make it special,” Georgios points out.
Georgios has a fresh perspective on how UPM welcomes new people. “I was blown away by how friendly everyone was. There was coffee and cake and everyone was very positive. As a manager it’s my role to bring people together too. I feel that UPM really appreciates their employees and truly finds it important to get the most talented people on board,” he says.
Alina Muurinen found her way to UPM and Tampere from St. Petersburg in Russia where for several years she worked at the Commercial Loan Department of VTB Bank. She came to study in the International Degree Programme at the Tampere University of Applied Sciences, started at UPM six years ago and completed her thesis project for UPM Finance. Recently she has worked as a Credit Controller in the Project Development team. “We provide a wide range of financial services to the businesses to support their decision making. And now by integrating Business Intelligence tools in our processes we are bringing UPM Finance to a completely new level. For me, working with people from many different countries and cultures is a big plus. You have to have good communication skills as people have different ways of expressing themselves although the language and concepts might be the same.”
Antje, Georgios and Alina have found UPM to be flexible when it comes to working hours and training needs. “If you’re interested in something, it’s very simple. You just ask and the training will be organised.” They have also found that people are encouraged to give their opinion freely and provide feedback. Not just once a year but as a part of routine work. But a fast-paced and dynamic working environment equals stress, right? How to cope with the constant changes? “We couldn’t do this so well without a great team and their good energy around us. If you want to make a positive change in your life, I’d say it's a good idea to apply for a job at UPM Finance,” says Georgios.
“UPM is an open-minded company and so are the people who work here,” adds Alina. “If you’re enthusiastic and have courage this is the place for you,” sums up Antje.
Saara Töyssy
Interested in working at UPM Finance? Now is the time to apply!
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A willingness to learn and a keen eye for finance led to a position of leadership
Main picture: Alina Muurinen, Antje Rössler and Georgios Tsagklas
