Joaquin – growing into a new role
Joaquin works as a sales manager at Ouneva Oy. He got to grow into a responsible role over the course of a year and a half, working alongside a seasoned professional.
Joaquin—or more familiarly, Jokke—started working at Ouneva Group two and a half years ago. Before joining the Group, he worked at Würth as a technical salesperson. Selling technical and demanding products was already familiar to him before joining the Group. Before his working career, Joaquin studied a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.
In his current role, Joaquin is responsible for the sales and marketing of Ouneva products. He oversees key domestic accounts and also leads projects in the contract manufacturing sector. Project management, in particular, is something Joaquin enjoys. It’s important for projects to be completed with a functional and economical solution that benefits both parties.
Joaquin had the opportunity to grow into his role of responsibility gradually before the retirement of the previous product manager, Esa. Esa, with decades of experience, guided Joaquin in the right direction. Although Esa’s retirement set a deadline for the onboarding, Joaquin had the chance to get acquainted with the role at his own pace. Esa’s experience and approach resulted in a high-quality onboarding period. Joaquin got to know key individuals and the extensive network right from the start. He emphasizes the importance of meeting people, as ultimately, business is conducted with people. Approaching the role with fresh eyes provided Joaquin with a diverse experience, from which he could draw upon his own background knowledge and skills. Joaquin’s active self-study in subjects such as electrical engineering and manufacturing technologies, as well as the support of colleagues, aided him in learning the key areas of the role.
For Joaquin, the best part of his job is its diversity. Work takes place both in the office and on the road. He always looks forward to customer meetings during his travels. He believes that being in the field allows him to immerse himself in the environment where customers work. The level of interaction with customers is different when visiting them, and they provide valuable insights into the market and trends. Last year, Joaquin spent over fifty days traveling and hosted around ten customer visits at Ouneva’s factories.
He mentions that his time at Ouneva Group has passed quickly, with a steep learning curve, which suits him well. A mindset of continuous improvement is strongly present in his everyday life and is also encouraged by the organization.
In his free time, Joaquin relaxes by playing frisbee golf, spending time in nature, and engaging in various sports activities. During hunting season, he has had results that filled the freezer.
