MEET HANNU: The Man We'd Wrap in Bubble Wrap If We Could
Ask anyone at VIBAe what happens if Hannu gets hit by a bus and you'll get the same answer: panic, then a long silence, then someone quietly asking if he wrote down the website password anywhere.
He joined our founding Fab Five with serious international business experience and somehow became the guy who fixes everything, from broken code to broken workflows to problems nobody else even knew we had. Officially he's Growth & Success. Unofficially he's our in-house Yoda, the last one on the dance floor, and apparently a future boat builder.
Here's what he had to say about all of it.
Q: "Growth & Success" are the end results of everything else you do right.
Since we're a small team, I end up switching hats a few times a day, sometimes already before lunch. My focus is on things that grow sales, make life easier for both our team and our customers, and keep things moving in the right direction. At the same time, I'm the go-to problem solver, partly because I know our tech stack inside out. And because I'm pretty data-driven, I always want to understand why something happened, not just fix it.
Q: You've been called "the in-house Yoda" and "the guy we'd wrap in bubble wrap if we could." What's that like?
Honestly, it's funny to think of myself that way. We're just a bunch of people rowing, most days, in the same direction toward the same goal, though sure, we occasionally forget what the goal was. Everyone brings their own strengths, and that mix is what's gotten us this far. If that earns me bubble wrap status, I'll take it.
Q: How do you balance code and community?
There's the real deep tech, which I gladly leave to our partners at Solwe, and then there's the kind of puzzle where I can mix in my past experience and MacGyver a solution. That's where I thrive. But I also love great conversations. I've debugged ecommerce flows on a rooftop in Barcelona and learned Senegalese drumming secrets backstage at a jazz festival. Same quest, different instruments.
Q: What role do the social moments play in a job that's otherwise screen-heavy?
Everything. I genuinely enjoy meeting new people, and events are perfect for that. You chat, you connect, and sometimes you end up on the dance floor with your new crew. Those are the moments that carry you through the not-so-glamorous grind. And every good party needs a Finn ready to close the bar. Sometimes it's me.
Q: What actually makes you lose your temper?
I wouldn't say I lose my temper, but yes, I can get annoyed. Customer behavior doesn't get to me. But when things don't go as agreed, or people get stuck in details and miss the bigger picture, that's when I feel it rising. I'm bad at arguing, so I've trained myself to stay calm and quiet. But if you know me well, you'll know when I'm not happy. My silence says it all.
Q: You've been renovating your summer cabin. What is it with Finns and their cabins?
We've had it for over twenty-five years, and there's been a new renovation every summer. Our kitchen has moved more times than most of my friends. This summer it's a full sauna makeover, first time I've touched that part of the cabin. Black meets bare wood, pure cabin gold. As for Finns and cabins, they're our happy place. Midsummer is the main event. BBQ, sunbathing, boating, sauna, repeat. It's also the only place where wearing a twenty year old hoodie with holes in it isn't just allowed, it's expected.
Q: If you didn't work at VIBAe, what would you do?
When I retire from VIBAe, I'm going to build wooden boats. One a year. Never done it before, but I'm convinced it's in my DNA. Picture NCIS's Gibbs, but with less crime and more teak.
Hannu proves the best growth strategy is genuine curiosity, and that even our resident tech genius still allows himself a power nap on the couch mid-afternoon. Next time something on the website mysteriously fixes itself, you'll know who to thank.
