Juha is very grateful for the opportunities he was given by the Carlsberg Graduate programme. "“Doing business requires technical skills and people skills and the programme helped me develop both," he says.
Juha was working in production development for a Finnish electronics manufacturing company - and was just about to start a new role - when he saw an advertisement for the Carlsberg graduate programme.
"Although my job was of a graduate level, it did not offer a formal development plan or the opportunity to work internationally like the Carlsberg scheme," he explains. "The challenge of working in another culture educates and develops you in a way that nothing else does."
Responsible tasks
Juha joined Sinebrychoff as a finance trainee and was immediately given the job of running the company’s Administration Excellence project. His overseas placements in Sweden and Denmark also provided challenging projects including restructuring programmes and SAP implementation. “I had to learn quickly but I gained excellent experience working on real and responsible tasks," he says.
The exposure to international markets, and networking with graduates from other countries, has been also invaluable in helping him to see things from other perspectives. Says Juha: “People work in different ways and it’s important to understand how the best way of getting things through changes with different functions and in different countries."
Lots of possibilities
Juha recommends the Graduate programme as an excellent platform for growth for any kind of career.
He says: “You’re working in a world-wide group, with brands and products that everyone is talking about, and with lots of possibilities. It’s not always a walk in the park, but you have to face the challenges and see them as opportunities to grow."