Salla Soininen's career story

Agile Coach Salla Soininen works as a trainer of agile methods in OP Financial Group's IT organisation. The people-oriented mentor enjoys helping tech specialists navigate professional transformations and is inspired by learning new things with an open mind. Soininen, who has seen many technological and cultural transformations during her career, believes that OP's bold investments in ICT offer limitless opportunities for development.   

 Salla Soininen enjoys her work at OP on topics revolving around technology. Upheavals of the modern knowledge work environment keep the Agile Coach busy, as technological leaps are strongly visible in the financial sector. The Development & Technologies organisation within OP Financial Group's IT sector employs around 5,000 professionals. Soininen believes that as one of the largest tech firms in Finland, OP's role is that of a pioneer.  

– Following the AI transformation, companies in the banking sector are faced with a new situation. We are constantly making decisions the outcomes of which are difficult to predict. Each fork in the road presents both challenges and great potential.   

Mentor in a changing tech world     

In her role as a coach, Soininen helps IT professionals in management and expert roles develop in their work. The role is intertwined especially with the technology unit and the Cloud Technologies tribe focusing on the cloud transformation. Salla also collaborates closely with Agile Coaches working on other technology themes, as well as Tribe Leads, IT Area Leads, Product Owners and Agile Masters.   

– My role is to help the organisation learn and develop in a way that is profitable from a business perspective while ensuring the wellbeing of personnel along the way. I train, coach and help implement agile methods in practice. Everything aims to increase customer value sustainably.       

Soininen moved to the Development & Technologies organisation from Retail Banking in 2022. Diving into the tech world has been a fascinating learning experience.      

– My background is in the customer service and bank representative interface, and I now work with technological platform tribes. The journey to IT services has been quite a change for me personally, but I believe that my holistic approach can help me contribute to the bigger picture. I try to increase dialogue between the development sector and the customer interface.     

Enabling the cloud transformation by increasing capabilities     

The accelerating pace of technological development is visible most crucially in the work of IT professionals. Soininen believes that we should look into the future boldly from the perspectives of both personal and the company's development – how is the necessary competence obtained and maintained?     

– The business environment in Finland and Europe is changing, which presents its own challenges. Our success depends on our ability and courage to develop ICT solutions, agile methods and processes that add value to customers. The collaboration between OP and Microsoft offers great potential from a development perspective – who would have believed that OP Financial Group is today one of the largest cloud training service providers in the Nordics?     

"I was four years old when I announced I wanted to work at OP"    

Soininen began her long career at OP while studying for her BBA degree as a sales representative in financing, savings and investments, and daily banking services. For her, the choice of employer had been clear since childhood.  

– My early memories of OP come from visits to the branch office in our little town, with its lovely atmosphere and smells. I was four years old when I told my mother that when I grew up, I wanted to work at OP and marry a police officer. And look where I am now – I've worked at OP for 20 years and been married to a police officer for 15 years.  I haven't regretted either decision for a single day, Soininen laughs.     

Early in her career, Salla's job as a customer advisor was augmented by a secondary role as a business coach. Over the years, Soininen has worked in various development projects, transformations and operational roles in the retail banking sector at OP. She transferred to the role of Agile Coach during an organisational change in 2020.     

– The best part of my job is the people. It's wonderful that different personalities can shine at OP. The importance of encounters with people is also highlighted in my work in OP Financial Group's employee wellbeing activities, both as a board member and in event production.  

A large organisation offers a broad perspective     

In professional life, the importance of competence development is increasing. What tips would Soininen give as an Agile Coach for experts who are struggling under the changes?     

– In a technological transformation, an enormous number of things happen all at once. It's important to give yourself permission to stop and breathe. One way to do this is to reflect on new concepts and lessons at the end of the day. Taking the time to cool down and relax is especially important for knowledge workers, who can be faced with an enormous cognitive burden.   

Soininen has learned a lot from her work at one of Finland's largest financial companies. 

– I've had the opportunity to witness and participate in significant technological and cultural transformations. In the two decades I've worked at OP, I've been able to observe as trends come and go, and society and culture go through cycles and changes. A large and constantly developing organisation offers a broad perspective on things.