On the morning of Thursday 24 February, we woke up to the sad and shocking news of an extensive Russian invasion of Ukraine. The crisis also deeply affects us at Blue Finance and our thoughts are now with our Ukrainian colleagues and their families.

We have a significant IT development team in Ukraine and the most important thing for us at the moment is to ensure their safety. We have offered to evacuate all of them and their families, also those not directly employed by us, from the Polish border and to take them to safety in Warsaw. We have already had some of our employees transported to the Polish capital. In addition, one of our employees has been accommodated by us in Moldova, where this person is closer to ones relatives who have remained in Ukraine. Some of our employees are still blockaded in Ukraine and we are doing everything we can to help them by all available means. We have also offered financial help to those in the country and to their family members elsewhere in Europe.

Regrettably, no-one currently knows how long the war in Ukraine is likely to last. Our Ukrainian employees boldly continue to work as much as they can, but it is possible and likely that it will be more difficult to do so as the attack continues. This is why, we at Blue Finance have initiated the necessary measures to maintain the continuity and development capacity of our IT operations. The situation is therefore under control in terms of our operational activities.

Of the countries in which we operate, the crisis has had the most significant consequences for Poland. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine raises a whole series of huge diplomatic, economic, security and humanitarian challenges for Poland. Our team in Poland is constantly monitoring the situation and are doing their best to help refugees arriving in the country. The crisis has not had an impact on Blue Finance’s operations in Poland.

Blue Finance offers fascinating jobs for a variety of IT professionals. In a company where customers are paramount, employees are challenged and truly get to develop their professional skills.

Mikko Maijanen has worked in finance for eight years. At the beginning of his career, Mikko handled credits in customer service and was then promoted to customer service management. He subsequently worked in several roles within IT. At Blue Finance, Mikko Maijanen started to work as Global IT Support Manager in the spring of 2021.

– This role was familiar because of my earlier experience but Blue Finance was a lucrative opportunity for me due to the startup mentality and huge prospects for growth. I absolutely wanted to be a part of a fantastic story. Here, I also get to develop and have an influence on things more than before, Mikko explains.

At Blue Finance, Mikko works on the front lines. Most support tasks find their way first to him and one by one customers’ concerns are resolved. Issues are often small and simple.

– It fits my character and I get satisfaction from solving one problem at a time.

Mikko’s team of four are responsible for support requests that come from the entire Blue Finance Group. Therefore, support requests come from Denmark, Spain, and Poland, in addition to Finland. Being a small agile team of four allows tasks to be handled efficiently.

– Our work flows smoothly because we have good, constant communication. The goal is to always learn from our mistakes.

 

Success drives us forward

Mikko has always enjoyed working with customers and working at Blue Finance has proven to be just what he expected.

– At Blue Finance the atmosphere is invigorating and inspiring. Here one can really see that every team and employee has the will and vigour to move forward. Furthermore, I love that my tasks vary a lot and that I get to work on different things and businesses. Success is daily.

Although his work does sometimes come home with him, Mikko has become used to it. It fits his character because he tends not to stress and he thoroughly enjoys his work.

 

The startup mentality has not faded with growth

Even though Blue Finance has grown quickly, Mikko thinks that the typical startup mentality of a small company has remained. For example, at the start of his new job, Mikko did not receive a cold reception, which can be the case in a corporate setting, but he felt warmly welcomed from day one.

Mikko sees a bright future at Blue Finance. According to Mikko, this company from Turku has unlimited potential and he believes that growth will continue and goals will be surpassed.

– I can recommend Blue Finance as an employer for anyone who wants to be a part of a dynamic group that is ready to move forward and be successful.