Side by side series | Tuomas Virtanen and Oskari Kangas

Coming back to the interview series “Side by side” where we asked one Consultant and one Partner to give us a glimpse into their day-to-day activities and show us a parallel of being in both positions. This time, we asked our colleagues from the Finnish branch. Tuomas Virtanen is a Partner whereas Oskari Kangas is a Consultant.

 

1. What is your perfect morning routine to start the day?

Tuomas: I am more of a night owl than an early bird so “perfect mornings” would be spent catching up on sleep before waking up to the growl of my two cats. That is hardly the norm though, so usually just a quick get-up and hopping onto a bus to reach our office. During the journey, it's most often multitasking between quick email/messaging checks, activity planning and listening to sports content such as That Peter Crouch Podcast and a Finnish NHL pod called Kimanttia.

Oskari: I usually want to start the day by having a long hot shower after postponing the alarm clock a couple of times :)

 

2. What is the music track that you love to play when coming to work?

Tuomas: I am pretty omnivorous when it comes to tunes so depending on the morning you can expect anything from Gwen Stefani to Slayer. However, you cannot go wrong with putting any of the masterpieces produced by the prog metal outlet called Tool.

Oskari: I like to listen to metal music so it is something from my metal playlist.

 

3. How do you usually relax during work breaks?

Tuomas: Going for a short stroll or a fresh cup of Joe usually does the trick to regain focus and relax a bit. Occasionally I like to get distracted by planning the next game week transfers for Fantasy Premier League. 

Oskari: What relaxes me is either playing the guitar or reading business articles.

 

4. Do you cook and if so, what is your favourite dish to make?

Tuomas: Hard to find enough time for this but cooking is very enjoyable. I like to experiment with new stuff but perhaps a go-to dish would be a self-made kebab.

Oskari: Simple and quick enough for my patience and schedule - a spaghetti casserole with minced beef and a lot of different cheeses and spices.

 

5. How do you keep your motivation up during the day?

Tuomas: No magic tricks here - as a challenger in the Finnish market we must strive every day to deliver top quality and that does not leave room for a lack of motivation.

Oskari: I want to have breaks and clear 'to do' goals for each day, this keeps my motivation up and eases my day.

 

6. Do you have some hobbies and if so, which ones?

Tuomas: Trying to fill my calendar with multiple kinds of sports activities - mainly football, supplemented by ice hockey, floorball, squash and a bit of golf too. And naturally also spending a fair bit of time watching sports, especially the English Premier League.

Oskari: I like to listen to music and go to the gym.

 

7. What is your favourite weekend activity?

Tuomas: Variety is good here for balance so sometimes experiencing the world of craft beers, sometimes playing with my daughter or hosting board game nights.

Oskari: I think the usuals i.e. food, drinks and movies.

 

8. What did you learn during your time in CIVITTA?

Tuomas: Close to five years building a business in Finland from scratch - it has been a hell of a ride to make a mark here. When starting this venture, I had solid generalist delivery / managerial competencies but this experience has forced me to learn all aspects of starting, scaling and running a business (and there still is a long way to go :)) 

Oskari: One thing I definitely learned is the experience of working in a young and growing consultancy.

 

9. What do you like most about your team?

Tuomas: As we are a young team, nothing brings me more happiness than seeing the team members develop as problem-solvers and communicators, evidenced especially by great client feedback. Versatility would be a second attribute here - people are open to contributing and learning about new kinds of challenges, whether it is innovation funding, market research or financial modelling.

Oskari: I like my team as they are people who I find relaxed and easy to engage with. 

 

10. How would you describe CIVITTA in a few words?

Tuomas: To me, we are a bunch of very smart and versatile people - with the courage to hop onto any kind of business problem and come back with a working solution.

Oskari: Growth and learning opportunities in a low-hierarchy environment.