Nina Jalo

Nina Jalo_succes story.jpg

Education:

  • Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences, EBS Helsinki, Finland, Sep 2012 – Dec 2015
  • Master in International Management CEMS & Master in Management, University of Sydney, Australia, Jan 2016 – Dec 2017

Current employer: KONE Pte, Singapore
Occupation: Learning and Development Specialist, Asia Pacific

Your success story 

What/Who did you want to be when you grew up? 
My whole life I’ve heard from people around me that I will be a ‘business woman’. I guess they were right. From selling candy, berries and mushrooms to my neighborhood to traveling between continents for an international company.  I’ve always wanted to achieve something, live life to the fullest and to find ways to utilize my capabilities the best way I can. I am still looking for that achievement I could settle with. 

I must say, my father is my inspiration when it comes to business. “Everybody tackles with their style.”

 

What’s your motto in life?
My last yearbook says: “Trying to survive life”, but on a more serious note: "I like things to happen, and if they don't happen I like to make them happen." -Winston Churchill 

 

What would be Your book recommendation to EBS students? 
I am a dreamer and in my world of escapism I like to live in other realities: Philip Pullman, His dark materials, is a trilogy I have read many times. 

I don’t feel the need to read motivation or ways to change organizations out of books, I prefer to get that from people around me. One of my old classmates always used to say: “We’re killing it” with such confidence and support towards our team, that it stuck with me. When I need to present to a larger crowd nowadays, I keep repeating that mantra and feeling that confidence, and damn it works!

 

What is your everyday job? 
My success story started from the minute I decided to start educating myself, while taking on new job projects and opportunities across Europe, South America, Australia and now Asia. After finalizing my double masters in Sydney, I landed in KONE International Trainee Program, in Singapore, for 6 months, ending in November 2017. After that, I was offered a position as a Learning and Development Specialist for Asia Pacific. A type of job I had always worked towards to, but then again, this is only the starting point.

 

Ambition grows the more you feed it. It is all about self-development, getting out of your comfort zone and taking action. The more you grow and improve your personal skill set – the more you need to achieve. 

As change management is my jam, I have been steering myself towards HR development. I see people as the biggest and challenging components to change and enjoy dealing with different type of personalities. 

My largest projects until now, have been managing new training technology projects in Asia Pacific as well as building internal communication channels for Learning and Development. I also get to work with eLearning and content creation, but most of all I get to improve ways of working and execute new ideas, which is something I thrive on. Before this job, I had never travelled between countries and continents before for work, and was happy to hear that was also in my job description whilst supporting the area. It is an added bonus when I can experience different cultures while meeting many interesting and skilled people. 

 

Why did you choose EBS? 
The idea of studying in Finnish and trying to read for exams to universities in Finland. As a hands-on type of a person the Finnish system did not motivate me, and this is how I ended up in an interview at EBS. Trips to Tallinn brought a bit more extra to the mix!

 

What is the most important thing you took from EBS?
Estonian Business School was a good milestone for me. I had a great thesis supporter and supervisor Kätlin Pulk who pushed me to get the best out of my research on Change Management. Thus, resulting in a work I am still proud of and utilize in my daily work. 

EBS also gave me a chance to attend a certified training session "Government, Security and Conflict in the Cyber Age" by Oxford University in cooperation with Tallinn University. The course was a delight, I gained some new friends and it gave me lots of new insight on Cyber Security. In a way, EBS empowered me to reach higher and put me on a path to find what I’m good at.

 

What would be your ultimate suggestion to EBS students? 
Take that year and go do an exchange program. I had my Erasmus year in WU, Vienna University of Economics and Business. These experiences develop your personal growth, language skills, widen your network and expose you to opportunities, while offering you another academic perspective. One of the biggest reasons, I applied to EBS was their great list of exchange universities. I suggest you use this opportunity.

 

Also, surround yourself with intelligent and confident people – that rubs off on you too. Go to networking events even though you wouldn’t feel like it because you will never know who you are going to meet. Start discussions with strangers and develop your confidence and ability to small talk. Always be prepared, and don’t be afraid to hold your ground and speak up. Trying is better than never taking a chance.