Season 1

CEOx1DayatCargotec

"I would encourage students to participate, even if they are not selected to the final participants to the CEO visit, the experience of talking to Odgers Berndtson associates was helpful to understand what companies are looking for in students and what the best parts of our CV’s are. Furthermore, having the opportunity to collaborate and compete for face to face with the top chosen students was a good benchmarking to see what the skills and preparations of the others are."

Enrique Batani, Lappeenranta University of Technology, CEOx1Day Finalist at Cargotec pictured with President & CEO Mika Vehviläinen

CEOx1Day at Fiskars

"My CEOx1Day experience taught me so many things about not only the job but also the person that fills that position. An organization for me used to be a black box, but now I can see that people produce results and the central role of the CEO is clear to me."

Niusha Safarpour, Tampere University of Technology, CEOx1Day Finalist at Fiskars pictured with President & CEO Kari Kauniskangas

CEOx1Day at Paulig

"It was a very eye-opening view to business to shadow a CEO for a day, helped me to better understand the things going through in their work and the dynamics between markets, employees and business... It’s important to see how the actual business life works, what kind of people and what kind of decisions are made in the board rooms and of course to have contacts all around is always a benefit."

Henri Sipilä, Aalto University School of Business, CEOx1Day Finalist at Paulig Group pictured with President & CEO Jaana Tuominen (centre) and management team members

CEOx1Day at Valio

"We had very interesting discussion on strategic issues and outlook of the industry with top management. The discussion was 'perfect' to thrill and satisfy a strategic management student. A very unique chance to have that kind of snapshot to a firm!"

Niko Snirvi, Aalto University School of Science, CEOx1Day Finalist at Valio pictured with President & CEO Annikka Hurme

CEOx1Day at Fazer

"I know where to go next. My future steps look even clearer."

Karri Kurunmäki, Aalto University School of Business, CEOx1Day Finalist at Fazer pictured with President & CEO Christoph Vitzthum

CEOx1Day at Ramirent

"One of the best things was to get to know so many talented people. In my opinion, you can always learn a lot from other people, if you just take the time to get to know them. And in this case, when all the students had such a diverse backgrounds and interesting talents and skills, getting to know them was just remarkable. Hogan Assessment feedback session was also really fruitful, I think I gained a lot from the feedback. Now I know for sure what my strengths are and in which areas should I focus in order to become a better leader."

Vili Koistinen, University of Oulu, CEOx1Day Finalist at Ramirent Finland pictured with Managing Director Anna Hyvönen (left)

CEOx1Day at Deloitte

"It was particularly interesting to see how my CEO was able to balance the daily operations of the company with long-term strategic goals. Being CEO for a day was an intense and eye-opening experience providing me with good insights into corporate governance. I strongly recommend all students interested in developing business and leadership skills to apply next season."

Henrietta Hindström, University of Helsinki, CEOx1Day Finalist at Deloitte, pictured with Managing Director Tomi Pitkänen

CEOx1Day at KPMG

"When students get a glimpse of the work life throughout their studies, it is usually in the form of internships, summer jobs or company presentations. In those instances, you usually see how our day-to-day work life would be in the very near future and more on the ground level of the business. However, so rarely do we see how the actual day-to-day operations are in the top-level management of the business, which is actually the position where most of us aspire to be one day. Therefore, initiatives like CEOx1Day are so valuable as it really gives us a unique viewpoint on the work life, while also preparing us for our careers by learning more about recruitment processes amongst other things."

Mauri Lahti, IE University (Madrid), CEOx1Day Finalist at KPMG, pictured with Managing Director Raija-Leena Hankonen

CEOx1Day at KONE

"It was a truly eye-opening experience, and a unique opportunity to grasp the tasks and responsibilities of a CEO. At the same time it was a great opportunity to better understand the company, its business model and the industry that it operates in. What really surprised me was the realization that a CEO doesn’t have much time to prepare decisions on his own, but needs to simultaneously learn from and guide his employees."

Ghita Wallin, Aalto University, CEOx1Day Finalist at KONE, pictured with President & CEO Henrik Ehrnrooth

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