Heidi Mitronen is a Senior Specialist in the Luukku team, which develops API REST interfaces. During her career of nearly 30 years at OP, Heidi has seen a number of significant changes and technological transitions.

There was tension in the air when Heidi started working at Pohjola in 1997.
Y2K was approaching, and experts predicted that the systems did not have sufficient resources for the looming transition and would malfunction. For its part, Heidi’s team worked to ensure that the company would get through Y2K unscathed.  

– The start of the new millennium did not cause problems, and we were elated.  

Night-time suspense in data centres  

Heidi’s career has spanned several technological transitions. One of the memorable changes was the data centre reform carried out after the integration.  

– For weeks, we would come to work in the early hours of Sundays to ensure that the applications functioned properly, as wires and cables were routed from one data centre to the next. During one crucial night, we were nervous to see if the card payment applications still functioned. As I was walking down the quiet aisles and sitting in the dark, collecting testing results, I realised how many critical things happen within very short timeframes, hidden from the public.  

Change contains an opportunity to grow   

As a result of the changes implemented at OP, Heidi was presented with an opportunity to work in logical design as an architect. Heidi has worked in a number of different teams and has held various roles during her long career at OP. These include an Application Developer, a Systems Specialist and a Solutions Architect. In her diverse career path, Heidi has found her adaptability and willingness to be open to new things very useful.

– In this occupation, change is continuous, so you can’t get stuck with the old ways of doing things. You should rather draw on the reforms to find enthusiasm in your work.  

In 2016, when OP started to implement shared real-time services for customer information, or APIs, Heidi had the opportunity to build and lead a new team that became known as Luukku.  

Tangible presence in the customers’ daily operations

The Luukku team operates behind the scenes in the services, in the depths of the systems. The customer primarily sees the user interface applications on the surface of the systems, but a seamless chain of API solutions is essential for well-functioning services. Designing the solutions requires a lot of communication within the team and between different teams.

– My role is often that of interpreter and messenger. I prepare pre-analyses, negotiate with Product Owners, Solution Analysts, Tech Leads and Process Owners – I translate business jargon into developer speak and vice versa.  

New launches and seeing the concrete results of the long-term efforts are rewarding for Heidi. A recent accomplishment cited by Heidi is the positive credit register, for which Luukku developed an API.  

– We sat there at work on Easter Sunday, on pins and needles about the implementation. When everything works as planned, the feeling of accomplishment is wonderful.  

As another example of how rewarding her job is, Heidi mentions the spring of 2020 and the coronavirus: a large number of customers switched to using digital services, and the lively public discussion about the increased use of banking and insurance services directly impacted the volume of API calls in the Luukku team.

– When I viewed usage reports at the time, it felt that we had a major impact on the lives of individual customers and society as a whole. As a team, we had completed a magnificent journey that started in 2017 when Luukku’s first API was implemented in production. 

An inquisitive attitude keeps the wheels turning  

Although Heidi has moved from technical coding to designing, she stays up-to-date on the continuous functions of various systems by participating in the monitoring and analysis of the services. Inquisitiveness has always been a great asset for her.  

– I am slightly introverted and enjoy being in the background, but I ask questions actively. That is a key method of learning. I also strongly encourage the quietest members of the group to offer their input, since working together generates great ideas.  

Heidi feels that she has gained more courage over the years. She praises the experienced colleagues she has worked with in the past: they eagerly shared information and their competence with the enthusiastic newbie.  

– The best part of my job is the diversity of duties. OP has always offered opportunities to jump into new duties and expand one’s competence. It keeps things interesting – boredom has never plagued me. 

Currently, Heidi is busy with the Azure cloud transition, which is ambitious even in the scale of the Nordic countries. Therefore, interesting and ground-breaking projects are on the horizon at OP in the future as well.