In the Aalto CFO Program, Otto Pesonen gained insight into his strengths and areas for development as a CFO. For Pesonen, the best parts of the training were the lessons on how to apply artificial intelligence in an economic context and the lessons on effective communication, as well as the opportunity to reflect on his own work and broaden his thinking through engaging discussions.
Otto Pesonen, CFO of VALA Group Oy, emphasizes that financial management is, above all, about managing people.
“Of course, technical expertise must be up to par, but a CFO’s key role is to define a common direction and build trust among the people around them.”
“Managing people is incredibly important – in fact, it’s the most important part of my job. I want every VALA employee to feel they can make a difference in our results, and for each of them to understand how their individual contributions help us succeed. I try to facilitate this by communicating even complex issues in an easily understandable way and by involving people as much as possible,” Pesonen explains.
Continuous self-improvement is near and dear to Pesonen's heart.
The Aalto CFO Program isn’t the right place for you if you want to learn specific technical skills. If your goal is to develop a new mindset, you should definitely attend this training."
“Every year, I strive to develop a major area of my expertise, and I’m willing to spend quite a bit of money on it,” he says.
He has further developed his financial management skills through the Aalto CFO Program. According to Pesonen, choosing Aalto EE’s training was an easy decision.
“Let’s start with the numbers. The Aalto CFO Program has received truly outstanding reviews: An NPS of 100% and a score of nearly 6 out of 6 for added value to our own organization. Another factor that tipped the scales was, in my opinion, that Aalto EE has by far the strongest brand in Finland. I didn’t really give the other contestants’ programs much thought.”
“I heard good things about the program, too, but only after I’d already signed up,” Pesonen chuckles. “I spoke with our group’s former CFO, and he told me he had attended Aalto’s very first CFO training program. He said it was really good.”
An Inspiring Educational Experience
The Aalto CFO Program gave Pesonen time to reflect on his own work and broaden his horizons through interesting discussions. He describes the training as an exceptionally positive experience.
You’ll learn about change management, people management, goal setting, communication, visionary thinking, and, most importantly, strategic thinking."
“First of all, it was extremely well organized. A truly professional and well-put-together package. I doubt you'll find training programs of this caliber anywhere else.”
“The advance instructions, the seating arrangements that changed daily, the coffee breaks, the meals – everything was top-notch, and everything just fell into place. This level of quality can only be achieved when even the smallest detail is meticulously planned and executed.”
Pesonen describes the educational content as wide-ranging, eye-opening, and inspiring.
“The Aalto CFO Program isn’t the right place for you if you want to learn specific technical skills. If your goal is to develop a new mindset, you should definitely attend this training,” he emphasizes.
“You’ll learn about change management, people management, goal setting, communication, visionary thinking, and, most importantly, strategic thinking. The training broadens your perspective and helps you see the bigger picture: how things are interconnected and how you, as a CFO, can drive progress and fuel growth.”
Pesonen particularly praises the way the program focused on current issues.
“What stuck with me most was how relevant everything we learned was. I admit that before the program started, I was hoping we wouldn’t be revisiting issues that were in the spotlight five years ago. My worries were completely unfounded. The training was really focused on the present.”
Pesonen found everything related to artificial intelligence particularly interesting, as well as the lessons on effective communication shared by Emilia Bunea.
The instructors were really good – all at the top of their field. It was fascinating to hear how they approached things from such different perspectives.”
“Communication skills are extremely important for a CFO. A modern CFO communicates persuasively, engages others skillfully, and inspires people to believe in their vision.”
“It was eye-opening to hear how important a CFO’s interpersonal skills are becoming, for example, in Asian countries, where management styles have traditionally been very bureaucratic. I believe that in Western countries, this change is already much further along than many people realize. If you want to stand out from the crowd as a CFO, you should learn how to communicate effectively.”
Value in Exchanging Ideas
Pesonen was expecting the training to be interactive, but he was still surprised by how much interaction there was.
“The instructors were really good – all at the top of their field. It was fascinating to hear how they approached things from such different perspectives.”
“The training involved active dialogue; we were constantly sharing our experiences with each other and with the trainers. During breaks, the professors would always stick around to continue their discussions. We had meaningful conversations on a wide variety of topics. It was extremely valuable.”
According to Pesonen, the training was also refreshingly practical.
“The level of abstraction was just right. We covered a wide range of topics, but none of the material was treated too superficially. Everything was also skillfully tied to practical application; the theoretical material was supplemented with interesting real-life examples.”
“The Aalto CFO Program distilled decades of experience and academic insights from top experts into a concise, six-day program. It was easy to identify the key points in the content and use them to develop ideas for my own work. I returned to work full of enthusiasm and new ideas – some inspired by the training and others by my own insights into how we can innovate at VALA.”
Reflections on Personal Leadership
VALA Group Oy, where Pesonen serves as Chief Financial Officer, is a subsidiary of Siili Solutions. In 2025, VALA was named Finland’s best workplace in the Great Place to Work competition in the medium-sized companies category.
“The role of CFO at our company is both varied and motivating. It involves a lot of collaboration with the sales and recruitment teams. I don’t focus solely on the financial side, but also very much on VALA’s operational efficiency and the ways in which we achieve our growth targets.”
The program helped me take a holistic view of my skills, identifying where I excel, where I still have room for improvement, and which areas I definitely need to strengthen.”
“Our core values are empathy, transparency, autonomy, accountability, and learning. As a CFO, my job involves a certain amount of balancing acts. I want to be fair, trust people, and be worthy of their trust – someone they can always call and who will always be there to help – but at the same time, I have to act as a gatekeeper. I need to be able to challenge people and hold them accountable for results,” Pesonen says.
For Pesonen, one of the most significant benefits of the training was the comprehensive overview it provided of his own strengths and areas for improvement.
“The program helped me take a holistic view of my skills, identifying where I excel, where I still have room for improvement, and which areas I definitely need to strengthen.”
“It was especially nice to realize how far I’ve come, since I didn’t follow a very traditional career path to becoming a CFO,” Pesonen points out.
“One of my favorite memories from Aalto EE was a conversation with a truly distinguished professor. He came over specifically to tell me how inspiring it was to hear me talk about VALA, because we’re actually putting into practice so many of the things he tries to encourage companies to do.”
Valuable Training at Every Stage of Your Career
Pesonen says he highly recommends the Aalto CFO Program.
“The training is well-suited for a wide range of people. It's a great choice if you want to become a CFO, as it opens up the path and gives you an understanding of the skills required for this role. If you're already a CFO, you'll gain insight into what you're doing right and what you could learn from the rest of the world.”
“The Aalto CFO Program also has a lot to offer to experienced professionals. It’s a good opportunity to challenge your own thinking, gain fresh perspectives, and identify potential cognitive biases: Do I do certain things this way simply because that’s how it’s always been done?”
In Pesonen’s opinion, learning was remarkably easy in the Aalto CFO Program.
“It would take years to try to learn the same things on your own. With everything so well organized, there’s very little left for participants to do: read the materials carefully, complete the pre- and post-course assignments, and, above all, block off the training days in your calendar.
“The most important thing is to make sure you don’t have to deal with work matters during the six-day program. Do your best to be fully present, get to know people, and actively participate in conversations. I promise you it'll be worth it.”