“We call these secondment agreements. I had been in the legal world for some time and wanted to see more. I ultimately selected UPM as the company to go to. I thought I would remain there until end of the contract year and then return to the law firm.”
About 15 years have passed since the end of the contract.
“At the end of my contract year, I realised that this is an interesting company, so I applied for a permanent position. There are not many truly global companies in Finland, and UPM had already begun the transformation to its current form at the time. I wanted to experience it and see where it leads.”
As a lawyer, Juuli Räsänen’s work calendar was filled with diverse legal matters.
“For almost my entire legal career, I have worked as a business lawyer at UPM Raflatac and UPM Plywood and been part of the management teams of both. I have advised on acquisitions, intellectual property rights and disputes, for example. The diversity of the work has also kept me interested.”
Sticking to the global market
Now, her career has led to responsibility for the business at UPM Raflatac – Räsänen was appointed to a new position in spring 2024, with the title of Vice President, Graphics & Industrials.
The new business unit UPM Raflatac Graphics aims to become a major player in the production of self-adhesive materials for signs and vehicle wraps, among other things.
“I’m undeniably a little nervous. But above all, I’m excited. Graphics is a clear growth business for us. Our goal is to be a significant contributor to UPM’s results in graphic self-adhesive products in the next few years.”
Raflatac has been thinking about a new business for several years.
“The question has been whether we will start building it ourselves or whether we will buy expertise from outside the company.”
The growth strategy chosen was to proceed through acquisitions – two of which have been carried out so far. UPM Raflatac acquired the German company AMC AG and its production of graphic self-adhesive materials in 2022.
In the second phase, the Belgian company Grafityp was acquired in the summer of 2024. The company is a pioneer in the development and production of graphic self-adhesive materials.
The company is known for its strong brands and product range, which consists of graphic self-adhesive materials suitable for outdoor and indoor advertising as well as vehicle wraps.
“The turnover of Grafityp is not very high, but it plays a major role in helping us reach products with an even higher added value in graphic self-adhesive products.”
Three tips:
1. Even though the industry attracts mostly engineers and business scientists, it is constantly changing and you can also change. There are many different jobs. I am a living example of that.
2. All major companies in the industry operate globally. For example, you can go abroad as a student through the Erasmus programme.
3. It’s worth coming and trying. With the help of graduate programmes, it is also possible to learn about different business operations in summer jobs, even abroad.
