Employee Spotlight: Pekka Haimi

Name: Pekka Haimi

Location: Espoo, Finland

Position: Head of Research and Insights

Three years ago, Pekka Haimi sat on a flight to San Francisco with his then-client Robocorp, ready to build the company’s first brand image. Little did he know where the journey would eventually take him. Just a few months later, Pekka decided to jump off the boat from his previous workplace to pursue a career in Robocorp. At that time, there were no open positions, but he felt so strongly about the team and the vision that he knew it was an opportunity he couldn’t pass.

– I met Antti and the team behind Robocorp in early 2020 when I worked in a creative agency as a Strategic Planner, helping with the company’s first brand iteration. Before that, I’d heard about RPA as an industry but only got intrigued once I learned about Robocorp’s open-source approach. That lit a spark in me; after all, I’ve been a tech enthusiast my whole life – whether it has been building computers or playing games with them.

Pekka wants to find meaningfulness in the things he does. He knew he'd found his place when he began to learn more about the business space. “To me, what resonated the most about RPA, was the possibilities it could bring to advance humankind, especially when considering work life. The technology is so powerful that I believe in the future all companies will be using software robots to run their routine tasks,” Pekka says, “and when we get robots to do our mundane work, people can focus on what really matters” he continues.

Today, Pekka has been working at Robocorp for almost three years. He started off as a User Research Lead and is currently the Head of Research and Insights, providing the company with market intelligence and research, user experience analyses, and product analytics. His background in statistics and sociology is an excellent combination for the role.

– “Pekka took the lead in developing our analytics stack and extracting customer signals from product behavior. To put it all together, he has worked across the organization, from product to sales to customer success. It’s a vital part of our customer understanding and powers everything from lead generation to product prioritization”, says Antti Karjalainen, CEO & Founder of Robocorp.

Outside work, Pekka lives with his wife, their 1-year-old daughter, and their poodle, Robo. “It’s a funny fact that Robo got his name before I even knew Robocorp existed. It must have been destiny,” he laughs. Pekka also has a great passion for trail running, and during the summer, he cruises around Finland in his DIY camper van, a tiny home on wheels.

For Pekka, one of the best things about working in a start-up has been the possibility of going beyond his role. As an example, he has taken part in building and implementing Robocorp’s first Social Responsibility Plan. “In Robocorp, social responsibility is much more than just charity or one campaign; it’s an ongoing process where we proactively focus on trying to make a positive impact and, of course, minimize the negative impacts of the business,” Pekka says. Currently, Robocorp is offering help to NGOs with its partner-led pilot program, Bots for Human Rights.

– In an influence-based organization like Robocorp, you get more responsibility by taking the initiative and getting things done. Pekka is a great example of this; not only has he excelled in his position, but he has also been a caring and driving force throughout the company and our business”. - Alisa Wilska, Head of Global HR at Robocorp

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