Nine new partners to UKI Arkkitehdit
UKI Arkkitehdit has acquired nine new partners. They are Mika Avela, Marjaana Harjapää, Mikko Kaira, Hanna Kangas, Vesa-Pekka Kiiskinen, Mika Nieminen, Ari Ronkainen, Meri Ruuskanen and Timo Vihtkari, who work in responsible roles in customer projects.
”The firm wants to offer a partnership option to its employees who have significant design competence, influence in the success of the company and interest in developing the company and our service to benefit the customer”, says Ulla Passoja, deputy managing director at UKI Arkkitehdit.
Passoja thinks it’s essential that partners make up a group of members who trust each other and work and help each other towards a common goal and high-quality architecture, but also bring different angles to open discussion.
A partnership option was an attractive opportunity that was natural to accept, say construction architect Timo Vihtkari and architect Marjaana Harjapää, who work at the Helsinki office.
I appreciate the cosy spirit at UKI and I want to continue developing it further.
Marjaana Harjapää, UKI Arkkitehdit
Partnership is also a sign of trust
One of the new partners, Vesa-Pekka Kiiskinen, recently worked about three years as design chief in a construction company. After returning to UKI, he continued his work as architect and started as leader of a design group.
”I consider partnership as a sign of mutual trust. It’s important to me that I can contribute to developing the company and be actively involved in daily operation”, says Vesa-Pekka, who likes working in the customer interface.
Among the new UKI Arkkitehdit partners, the employee with the longest history in the company is architect Ari Ronkainen, who reaches 35 years in service next year.
”I have accumulated a lot of and diverse experience from working in an architectural firm. A partner role feels like a natural continuation to my earlier work”, Ari considers.
New partners Hanna Kangas, Mika Nieminen and Meri Ruuskanen are recent employees at UKI. They have all had a lengthy career in responsible tasks at architectural firm Laatio, which merged with UKI Arkkitehdit in August 2021. Hanna, Mika and Meri were partners at Laatio for ten years.
”I felt and feel that partnership is quite meaningful, because you can influence the direction of the company. When the opportunity opened, it was natural to continue as partner here, although the framework is much bigger now than earlier”, Meri says.
Head of the Helsinki office, Mikko Kaira, has been partner in several firms during his lengthy career. He says it feels good to bring his accumulated experience and competence to UKI.
”Contrary to most partners, I’m already at the tail end of my architectural career. It’s interesting to experience this kind of model where you are asked to become a partner in a ready company setup.”
True opportunity to influence
Mika Avela works in hospital design and says that he has thought already earlier that it would be nice to be partner in the company where you work. When you work as leader in projects, it’s correct to seek positions where you can express your thoughts and truly influence the way the company operates.
”I have liked working at UKI and I was honoured when the managing director called and suggested partnership. Committing to this is a little like getting married: when he proposed, I was touched and answered in the affirmative”, quips Mika, who works at the Helsinki office.
Vesa-Pekka Kiiskinen and Hanna Kangas add one more observation: customers seem to listen carefully when a partner in an architectural firm is speaking.
”Perhaps the customer thinks that this one isn’t probably going anywhere, a partner will surely stick to the firm and projects.”
Architects Pauli Koivisto, Kimmo Mansisto, Raija-Liisa Miesmaa, Ulla Passoja, Teuvo Tuorila, Kimmo Turpeenniemi and Timo Tyynismaa also work in the firm and continue as partners.
The main owner of the company is managing director Mikko Heikkinen, third-generation entrepreneur.