The Unikie and the US market combo has got a whole new meaning as Jussi Mäntynen has started operations to open the Unikie office in San José. Mäntynen has moved from Dubai to America to join forces with Unikie, with an amibitious goal: to build a solid clientele for Unikie and attain regular growth in the USA within the next 3-5 years.
Mäntynen has a background in telecommunications. His career, which started in Tampere in 1999 while working for Nokia, has truly taken off and resulted in a change of scenery. For the past 13 years, he has worked in business and sales development duties with Dubai as his main headquarters with a focus on the Middle East and Africa. During the years spent abroad, his career – which had strong roots in traditional telecommunications – moved on to Internet-based solutions and from there further on to virtual solutions and virtual elements in various cloud services.
Unikie is starting its invasion into America
After another change of continent, Mäntynen is now based in San José in California. Unikie’s American operations are now officially launched as the office of Unikie Inc. opened in the Nordic Innovation House premises in Palo Alto.
– It’s been a pleasure to join this fabulous team in today’s agile and bustling world. The positive energy is truly evident in the people and the way things are done around here, Mäntynen enthuses.
After meeting with the Unikie CEO Esko Mertsalmi and Chairman of the Board Seppo Kolari, Mäntynen became convinced that Unikie would be a great place to work for him. He felt that the desire that was evident in the way the Unikie people approach their work was a perfect match for his own working style. Their future expectations were also a match.
– The US operations aim to make the company’s offices in California the most desired working location for employees. I love complex sales work and the hectic pace with customers, so this is exactly the right role for me, says Mäntynen enthusiastically.
He lists his own personality and his diverse international experience in the field as his fortes. In addition, he has a comprehensive understanding of modern business together with a strong backing team. In his own words:
– I yearn to roll up my sleeves and get started on development work, and to make commitments that we can guarantee to keep. At the same time I will participate in creating and sharing information, and growing our wonderful, agile team.
It’s not all about work, family is important too
Outside of work, Mäntynen describes himself as a typically family-oriented person.
– Our youngest son is now almost three, which means that my free time outside work is rather family-centred at the moment. All my cool hobbies are somewhat on hold right now, but there will be time for those later, says Mäntynen.
Whenever he can spare the time, Mäntynen won’t think twice about getting active. He likes to play golf and tennis, go scuba-diving, and hit the slopes to do some down-hill skiing. Mäntynen is also comfortable on a bike, whether on a track or in rougher terrains. In addition to sports, he takes a keen interest in the military.
What really gets him going are motor sports and Harley-Davidson bikes. As a self-confessed Harley man, Mäntynen adds with a twinkle in his eye: ”Even I ride V-Rod, I can understand and tolerate all the other ”wussy” brands on roads … ;-)”
Career highlights in a nutshell
- 1999-2008 with Nokia (Testing, Tier 3 Support, On-Site Support, Teaching, Project Mgmt)
- 2008 – 2012 with Anritsu on MEA Region (Project and Program Mgmt)
- 2012 – 2017 with EXFO on MEA Region (Business Development and Sales)
- 2017 – 2018 with Mentura on MEA Region (Business Development and Sales as Consultant)
