The IT hobbyist who became head of a business unit
Teemu Kiviniemi heads the main unit for shared ICT solutions, which covers a large set of activities from staff tools to Funet and data centers. His days are mostly filled with meetings with internal management teams, customers and other stakeholders. Teemu is also the line supervisor of the members in his team.
Fast career progress at CSC
Teemu started at CSC over 15 years ago as a summer trainee. Since that time, he has progressed at a steady pace from a trainee to a unit head. “I worked for five years as an expert and another five as a manager, and now I’ve done a five-year stint as a unit head, too”, he sums up. Teemu’s work at CSC has always had something to do with the Funet network, even though his job description has expanded as his role has changed.
While Teemu’s career progress at CSC seems rather straightforward, he had a lot of previous expertise obtained both through work and his hobbies before he joined the company. “I didn’t start from scratch when I came here for my summer internship”, he says. At the turn of the millennium, Teemu had worked for several years as a ‘general factotum’ for a small Internet operator. Teemu’s interests have additionally included both telecommunications and coding for many years: even before the era of the widespread Internet, he worked with data connections using BBS systems and the FidoNet network.
The workplace of his dreams continues to motivate Teemu
Before starting at CSC, Teemu said to a friend of his that CSC was his dream workplace, and the years gone by have not changed his mind. In addition to great supervisors and colleagues, Teemu brings up a versatile and interesting operating environment as one of the best aspects of CSC: “If you have any interest in information technology at all, I couldn’t imagine a more interesting workplace”. The work remains inspiring and interesting when the work environment is unique and your employer is a technological pioneer.
What Teemu finds particularly motivating in his current job is the fact that in his role, he can influence Finland’s capabilities to conduct research and promote higher education: “When we do our part well, our customers don’t have to worry about it, and they can focus on other things”. Teemu finds that in his tasks, he gets to work in this enabling role.
If you have any interest in information technology at all, I couldn’t imagine a more interesting workplace.
Teemu Kiviniemi, CSC
The head of unit also has leisure time
Although he has continued to pursue his hobbies of telecommunications and coding for a long time, Teemu currently spends his leisure time mainly with his family. Teemu has found that the employer supports the reconciliation of work and family life, and a while ago he took some paternity leave. “There has not been any barriers to the leave despite the role”, he notes. Physical exercise is also part of daily life for calm and methodical Teemu.