Aktia new member of Hanken partner programme

By collaborating with Hanken, Aktia hopes to increase its reputation as a potential employer.

“Hankeites are very important to us as future colleagues, not least because of Aktia’s strong identity and history as a Finnish- and Swedish-speaking company,” says Lotta Borgström.

Borgström argues that curiosity is a good quality to have for students who are interested in working in the banking and finance industry. The subject you are majoring in is less important, as there are places for experts in a wide range of areas. 

“This is such an interesting industry to work in because it’s an area that affects us all. It’s about people taking responsibility for their finances and their own futures, about the welfare of society at large.

Borgström hopes that Hanken and Aktia will also increase their collaboration in research.

“We are following Hanken’s research with great interest, it acts like a pathfinder in different areas of relevance to us. It is undoubtedly in everyone’s interests to bring the academic and business worlds closer together.

Aktia’s three business areas are banking, asset management and life insurance. The group has some 900 employees and close to 300,000 customers. At the time of the interview, assets under management totaled around EUR 13.9 billion and the balance sheet total was EUR 11.9 billion. Aktia serves its customers everywhere through digital channels and face-to-face at its offices in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area and in the Turku, Tampere, Vaasa and Oulu regions. Aktia's investment funds are also sold internationally. The company’s values are Courageously, Skillfully and Together.

Like many other companies, Aktia has and continues to undergo major changes brought on by digitization.

“The majority of our customers demand fast, reliable banking services 24 hours a day, even though, of course, some generational differences exist. People also want face-to-face service. Personal contact is very important in areas such as wealth management,” Lotta Borgström says.

Borgström sees digitization as an opportunity rather than a challenge. But she also highlights stricter regulation of the banking industry as one example of the challenges facing the banking sector. Climate change is another.

“Climate change affects everyone and is dependent on demands and decisions being as sustainable and transparent as possible.”

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