Meet our new colleagues – Akseli Pallonen, Pekka Hämäläinen and Ilari Kankare

We are excited to announce three additions to our team.

Akseli joined VALOR Partners in May as an associate. Previously, he worked as a management consultant at Capgemini Invent and as an expert in financial crime prevention at Nordea Bank. As a consultant, Akseli is inspired to work with strategic business problems that have a real impact on clients’ competitive market position.

Our new analyst trainees Pekka and Ilari joined VALOR in May. Pekka has experience in digital assets, credit evaluation, due diligence, start-ups, and politics. Pekka likes to see financial and analytical matters in a larger societal and historical context, utilizing two of his major interests. He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Aalto University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in finance. Ilari has experience of strategy work, business intelligence, and financial modeling. He is eager to combine his analytical skills with his human-centered attitude to bring value to clients. Ilari’s expertise lies in finding new perspectives and cooperation with various stakeholders.  In the fall, Ilari will continue his Industrial Engineering and Management master’s studies at Aalto University.

What do you hope to gain from your new position?

A: Developing my expertise in business and corporate strategy and becoming a better consultant day by day. In addition, connecting with the VALOR team and becoming a part of it myself is something I’m going to greatly enjoy in the coming weeks.

P: I hope to learn lots about various industries and to make practical use of the theoretical frameworks learnt at school. I’m also looking forward to getting to know the smart people of the VALOR team and many of our stakeholders.

I: I hope to provide value for VALOR’s clients. Meanwhile, I wish to learn as much as possible from the projects I will be working on and the colleagues I’m working with.

What has been the most rewarding part of your new job so far?

A: Very smart people! I’ve already learnt a lot, thanks to colleagues sharing their expertise with me in various topics and providing feedback.

P: Definitely taking a proper deep dive into a surprisingly fascinating industry I knew nothing about before but can call myself basically an expert on now. I guess that’s what makes the art of consulting such a great option for an eternally curious mind like mine.

I: I felt really welcome when I started. I was quickly onboarded to the team and felt like I could contribute from day one.