General Counsel Kaisa Latva has worked in in-house legal roles throughout her entire career. While the industry does shape the job to some extent, Latva says the work of a General Counsel is largely the same from one company to another. In addition to legal responsibilities, the role often includes participation in the executive team.
“A law degree gives you a lot, but unfortunately, it doesn’t provide much real-world competence for the realities of business. Of course, you learn quickly on the job – I’ve been able to ask good questions in the executive team and identify the key points in discussions even without a business degree,” Latva explains.
“Still, I felt it would be much more meaningful to talk about financial matters, go-to-market plans or pricing strategies if I understood the theoretical background and spoke the same language as my corporate colleagues,” she continues.
The decision to strengthen her business skills through the Aalto MBA program was an easy one for Latva.
“Aalto EE was a fairly obvious choice for me. I’d heard good things about Aalto, and I live in downtown Helsinki. Sure, it would have been fun to take a sabbatical, pull our kid out of daycare, my husband away from his work, and go to, say, the U.S. as a family for my MBA studies – but not very practical,” she laughs.
Latva says she’s more than satisfied with the program.
It was always a pleasure to attend in-class sessions."
“I’ve been singing the praises of the Aalto MBA to everyone who’s asked about my study experience. Especially to my fellow lawyers I’ve said that, in my opinion, it should be a mandatory requirement for every law graduate who ends up working in-house.”
Aalto MBA adapts to participants’ life situations
Latva describes her study experience at Aalto EE as excellent.
“It was always a pleasure to attend in-class sessions. The art, the amazing facilities, great food and coffee, the excellent program coordinators, and the fantastic staff at Aalto EE – the difference to my master’s studies at university was quite dramatic,” she mentions.
“Throughout the Aalto MBA, I had the good kind of feeling that I was a paying customer being treated with genuine care.”
She also praises the group dynamic and peer support from fellow participants.
“We had a marvelous MBA group. There was no sense of competition – it was a genuinely collegial group where everyone supported one another. Usually, when you start a new job, join an association or pick up a new hobby, everyone else already has their own networks and relationships. It’s rare in adulthood to join a group where no one knows each other, and everyone is setting out on the same journey.”
Latva initially planned to complete the MBA in three years, so the workload wouldn’t become overwhelming alongside a demanding job.
We had a genuinely collegial group where everyone supported one another."
“As a lawyer, I’m used to reading a lot and producing text. After a few modules, I realized that studying while working felt much lighter than I’d feared,” Latva says.
“Encouraged by that, I decided to complete the whole program in two years. The Aalto MBA is flexible to participants’ life situations, so changing plans wasn’t an issue at all.”
Workplace skills everyone should strengthen
The academic content of the Aalto MBA provided precisely what Latva had hoped for – and several positive surprises.
“The finance and accounting modules were by far the most useful for my work. I got exactly the theoretical foundation I wanted to support my role in the executive team: competence grounded in formal training and the confidence to comment on business matters,” she says.
“Business Model Innovation was my favorite study module in the entire MBA. We developed a go-to-market strategy for a real startup, interviewed the founder, and considered whether we’d invest in the company. It was one of those courses that was as useful as it was enjoyable,” Latva shares.
Latva admits that she originally chose the Leading Creativity and Design Thinking modules mainly because they best fit her schedule.
“But they turned out to be especially positive surprises. Both courses were incredibly rewarding. Critical thinking and creativity are workplace skills everyone should strengthen,” she points out.
“You need to be able to think creatively in legal work as well. Regulation is always behind what’s actually happening in the world. You face situations where there are no clear rules. You just have to make a call under time pressure on how to proceed as a company. That takes risk-based judgment and creativity to navigate.”
The Aalto MBA also gave Latva valuable tools for self-leadership.
“My MBA journey started with Ben Nothnagel’s Self-Leadership training. It was a strong start to the studies. The wow factor of learning from such a charismatic coach was quite something,” Latva reminisces.
The MBA helped me think more holistically.
“I got valuable insights on self-leadership in many other contexts during the MBA as well. The combined impact of all these lessons is visible in my everyday work now. For example, I’m more aware of how I might come across to others and what I’m like in group situations – and I know how to adjust my behavior when needed to make it easier for others to work with me.”
A holistic view of business
Latva’s key takeaway from the Aalto MBA was a comprehensive perspective.
“The MBA helped me think more holistically: to see what affects what in business. I now better understand the different angles executive team members bring to the table,” Latva notes.
She says she’s happy to endorse the Aalto MBA program.
“I absolutely recommend it. Don’t stress too much about whether you’ll have enough time. Studying alongside a demanding job is quite doable if you’re kind to yourself. You don’t have to set the bar impossibly high in every single module if work is hectic,” Latva emphasizes.
“You’ll quickly find a study rhythm and method that suits you. Some people, for example, listen to most of the materials as audio. What worked best for me was starting well in advance, so I had ample time to read and reflect on each article. I didn’t find it taxing at all. The materials were so thoughtfully curated, interesting, and well written – compared to legal texts, it was a refreshing change.”