This summer, ABB is again offering around 800 young people an overview of international business and the opportunity to work in a global environment. Many students go on from their summer jobs to careers at ABB. Once upon a time, this is how it went for Taira-Julia Lammi and Jani Torkko, both of whom are still happy about it.
Taira-Julia first studied materials engineering in Tampere, but after changing her major, she graduated with a master’s degree in industrial engineering and management. Through their summer jobs, both were given the opportunity to complete their thesis for ABB. Taira-Julia’s thesis was on developing quality cost accounting. Jani, who has a master’s in economics and business administration, also majored in industrial management, with minors in management and accounting. His thesis for ABB was on the significance of quality in subcontracting.
Jani briefly worked elsewhere, but international assignments called him back to ABB. That’s how his work on business development began, and it has taken him all over Europe and the rest of the world.
“It was great to get this challenging job as a young man, and the development work blew me away immediately, quite literally,” says Jani, laughing about the days of travel to China, India and other places the job required.
Jani Torkko and Taira-Julia Lammi have built meaningful careers in ABB's international environment and seen the world. "It all started with summer jobs, and it's been fun ever since. The future also looks exciting," they say. 
The work has taken Taira-Julia to both China and Hungary. "A cohesive and supportive ABB culture helps when settling in a new country. It's definitely worth going global if the opportunity arises," she encourages. 
Jani has been working on business development throughout his ABB career. "I like to take the lead and solve challenges together with the team on the way to our goals. It gives you the opportunity to be on the edge of something new all the time, which is fascinating." 
Taira-Julia and Jani encourage young people and those who have already started their careers to take the plunge and believe in themselves. "You can succeed in many tasks if you keep an open mind, build up your skills along the way and dare to go boldly towards something new."
A Global ABB family
Taira-Julia is a familiar colleague to Jani from those days, as she managed the Vaasa team Jani started in.
“As the unit leader, I was responsible for European operational development projects in all ABB’s business areas and divisions for seven years. During those years I also set up a unit in Prague, which I visited many times,” says Taira-Julia. “As a manager, I was responsible for our unit’s results, which we could only achieve by developing the whole team’s skills and maintaining a positive team spirit. Networking between different parts of the company was the best part of that time.”
Meanwhile, Jani went to Poland with his family on an assignment, where he worked for two years as a Value Chain Planning Manager. “You shouldn’t be afraid of responsibilities and any difficulties. Finland gives you a good education, and if you’re open-minded and hardworking, you’ll do well in the big world," says Jani, offering words of encouragement. “It was a rewarding time. We even discovered what Polish maternity hospitals were like when our second child was born in one.”
Taira-Julia had already spent six months on assignment with ABB in China. “It was pretty extraordinary to be exposed to that culture when I was young, and the experience I gained there has been very useful in my later work,” she says.
Later, Taira-Julia and her family ended up on a long assignment in Budapest, where she spent five years as ABB Hungary’s Country Manager. “I went there to introduce ABB’s new operating model for customer interfaces, so I had a completely new task, operating model and country to call home. But it was a pleasure to see that ABB’s culture was strong everywhere. Even though moving to a new country with your family is a big undertaking, the really great feeling at work and getting to know the locals helped a lot when we were getting settled in. ABB’s values of courage, caring, curiosity and cooperation sustain and unite us,” says Taira-Julia.
Both returned to Vaasa some years ago and have global roles in IEC Low Voltage Motors division, where the future looks exciting and diverse. “It’s great to be able to live in Vaasa and work on interesting projects with an international team,” they both say. “And we still get to travel the world sometimes.”
Watch the video to find out what motivates Taira-Julia and Jan at work, and what tips they have to offer.
