I work as a Data Consultant at Gofore, while my title at the customer organisation is Data Manager. I joined the project as the first dedicated data professional. Since then, we have steadily strengthened our data expertise within the development team, and today there is already a small team of us working with data.
Over the past few years, we have renewed data architecture, strengthened data validation, and embedded DataOps practices into the team’s day-to-day work. At the same time, we have built a strong foundation for data work that enables us to develop AI-based solutions on top of it. We have also put more focus on FinOps, and upcoming process changes will make the overall landscape significantly easier to manage.
I feel I have succeeded in my work when the people using our applications gain genuine value from them, or when our stakeholders recognise the benefits of the work we do around data warehouses. We manage a large ecosystem where it is impossible to know every single detail. Yet identifying those details and taking them into account in data work is exactly what makes my job especially rewarding.
Continuous learning in data, cloud technologies and AI
My expertise has grown enormously over the past few years. Moving into the world of image data has introduced me to new tools and provided opportunities to deepen my knowledge. Today, I work with large volumes of image data in an AWS cloud environment, which has involved adopting specialised image-processing tools, expanding my expertise in AWS data and AI services, and further developing my programming skills. Alongside this, data governance, legislation, and DataOps, DevOps, and FinOps have become integral parts of my daily work. I am also continuously deepening my understanding of Finland’s transport network.
Many things motivate me. I enjoy solving real problems and finding ways to make things better. My work also has a strong personal dimension, as I use the very transport routes and infrastructure that I work with every day. In addition, stakeholder collaboration and helping people have always been meaningful to me. I am also motivated by talented colleagues who challenge me to grow and raise the quality of our work through their expertise and dedication.
A community that helps you succeed
There are a huge number of highly skilled professionals in Gofore’s Data & AI community, and it is always easy to ask for help. I have also actively built networks across other competence communities and have received particularly valuable support from the AWS specialists in the Cloud community. Another important source of support is Gofore’s Lead Experts, who organise training sessions and share experiences from different projects. Through them, I stay up to date with new services, technologies, and ways of working.
Gofore’s human-centred culture also supports my everyday work. I make a conscious effort to look after my own wellbeing while supporting those around me, and we discuss challenging situations openly within the team. The culture encourages this openness, which makes work feel more meaningful and sustainable.
We spend a large part of our lives at work, so the significance of what we do, the opportunities we have to develop, and especially the people we work with all play an important role in our wellbeing. At Gofore, I am surrounded by an excellent hybrid team, a supportive Data & AI community, and great local colleagues, with whom even the most difficult situations can be overcome together. And the coffee at the office is pretty good too.
At the moment, I am particularly inspired by developments in AI. The pace at which AI is transforming the way we work is so rapid that, at times, it feels as though I am on a rollercoaster trying to hold on to my hat. At the same time, I believe many people are only just getting on board. Understanding what data and AI can already achieve, and the potential they hold for the future, is often concentrated among specialists in the field. That is why I try to view these topics from the perspective of people who do not work with data on a daily basis. I hope that as many people as possible will have equal opportunities to understand and benefit from the possibilities that data and AI offer.
As a consultant, the qualities that have helped me most are honesty, fairness, recognising my own limits, and supporting the success of others. I believe a consultant succeeds when the team, the product, or the customer succeeds. We rarely build anything meaningful alone. The best results are achieved together.
