Reima, known for its high-quality and weatherproof children’s wear, is committed to investing in the expertise of its key personnel. Through the Global Leader, Aalto MBA, and Aalto EMBA programs, the company’s leadership team has gained a shared language, and Reima has reaped clear business benefits.
Reima is doing well, despite the turbulent global situation. For over 80 years, the company has championed children’s outdoor activities, movement, and well-being, and its clothing is sold in dozens of countries worldwide.
“The North American market is growing in particular. We found an incredibly good product-market fit there and the right consumer group for Reima’s children’s wear. We are growing rapidly, especially in e-commerce. There is also a healthy demand in Central Europe right now,” says CEO Heikki Lempinen.
About one hundred employees work at Reima’s headquarters in Vallila, Helsinki, while its global headcount is double that size. At the monthly town hall meetings, everyone joins online to welcome new employees and celebrate milestone anniversaries of colleagues. Ten-year and even 20-year careers are celebrated frequently.
“People enjoy working here. But because the world changes fast, we need to bring in fresh perspectives from outside Reima on a regular basis,” Heikki Lempinen emphasizes.
“We encourage all our employees to pursue lifewide learning so they can grow together with Reima. I find it particularly valuable to build business expertise among key personnel who come from non-business backgrounds. That’s when the magic starts to happen,” Heikki Lempinen says.
A shared language for the leadership team
Reima’s Chief Creative Officer Sari Perttunen and Chief Experience Officer Johanna Sarviharju have both completed Aalto EE’s Global Leader and Aalto Executive MBA programs, while Designer Heljä Manninen has strengthened her business acumen through the Aalto MBA program.
Johanna Sarviharju explains how already during the Global Leader program, she started noticing how rewarding discussions were with Reima’s CFO.
“All of a sudden, we were on the same page. During my EMBA studies, that connection grew even stronger. Now, our entire leadership team speaks the same language, which I find immensely valuable,” Johanna Sarviharju says.
“Aalto EE refined and expanded my expertise across a broad spectrum of disciplines. Scenario planning and impactful communication have been particularly useful in my work – and through the finance and business modules, I acquired a new secret pleasure: reading income statements. It’s surprisingly rewarding when you know how to do it,” Johanna Sarviharju says with a laugh.
Heikki Lempinen underlines that everyone in Reima’s leadership team now has a strong baseline level of business understanding.
“We all bring our own expertise to the table as an added flavor, but we tackle challenges and opportunities best when we operate as a coherent group with a shared language,” he says.
Lessons learned at Aalto EE have proven valuable in creative work as well. Heljä Manninen gained a wide range of useful skills from the MBA program, for example, regarding future foresight. She has particularly warm memories of the finance modules.
“There was a great mix of people in my MBA group, from an oncology researcher to a well-known TV producer. As a clothing designer, I wasn’t the only one without any formal business studies under my belt. The finance professors were wonderfully inspiring and approachable; they had a real knack for making complex topics accessible to everyone,” she reminisces.
“Now, when we talk about financial KPIs at work, I genuinely understand what they mean – how they connect both to my own work and to Reima’s business – and I can also interpret why a particular number looks like it does. It’s definitely boosted my professional confidence,” Heljä Manninen says.
Concrete benefits from Business Strategy projects
Two Business Strategy projects have been carried out for Reima within the Aalto EMBA programs. While Reima’s team can’t share all the business insights gained from these projects, they are happy to give a few practical examples.
In Sari Perttunen’s EMBA group, the Business Strategy Project focused on how Reima can win in the spring and summer seasons.
“Reima’s mission is to gear up the next generation of happy, active kids and get them away from screens. One of our major challenges is seasonality. We are primarily known for winter clothing: if the weather is bad, make sure your kids are wearing Reima,” Sari Perttunen says.
“We created a consumer survey that received over 3,000 responses. It turned out that surprisingly few of our committed loyal customers even know that we have a versatile and high-quality selection for spring and summer weather,” she notes.
In hindsight, the strategy project yielded a very simple yet extremely valuable observation: there are over a million Reima Friends loyalty members worldwide. The easiest way to boost spring and summer sales is to ensure that existing loyal customers are activated in the spring.
Johanna Sarviharju’s Business Strategy group focused on Reima’s North American marketing concept.
“I put together a fantastic team of experienced executives from different industries – including publishing, telecommunications, and the construction sector. We gained valuable outside perspective for refining our pricing strategy and sharpening the emotional core of the Reima brand,” Johanna Sarviharju says.
“Of course, we developed these insights further internally, but the project undeniably influenced both our marketing and brand strategies. Last year, we launched the ‘Kids Out and Active’ campaign, which has delivered marvelous results,” Johanna Sarviharju continues.
Fresh perspectives from Aalto EE networks
Reima’s executives emphasize that they were lucky, as many EMBA participants propose topics for the Business Strategy Projects and only the most popular ones make the cut.
“Both projects generated fresh insights that are difficult to identify from within the company. Pricing models inspired by Johanna’s group have already been successfully implemented, and ideas from Sari’s group related to the spring and summer seasons are now running in our marketing automation,” Heikki Lempinen says.
“Thanks to the networks Sari built through Aalto EE, there is also a very strong likelihood that we will soon obtain Bug Proof certification in North America. That will be a major win,” he notes.
Sari Perttunen explains that Reima’s Bug Proof children’s clothing contains a non-toxic biotextile that repels ticks.
“We want to sell them in the United States, but due to local legislation, it initially seemed very difficult, even impossible. One of the best aspects of studying at Aalto EE was the wealth of insightful, thought-provoking discussions. Through them, I found entirely new ways of looking at the challenge,” Sari Perttunen says.
“It inspired me to make use of Aalto University’s professor network and experts from Business Finland. I ended up creating a chain of contacts through which we were able to address the issue together with a U.S. company specializing in chemical legislation. It now looks very likely that we will succeed,” she says happily.
Extra energy and motivation
Heljä Manninen, Sari Perttunen, and Johanna Sarviharju look back on their study experiences warmly. The international community, charismatic instructors, and inspiring atmosphere all receive praise.
“The Program Directors and entire Aalto EE staff also play a huge role. They take each participant into account as an individual and do everything they can to ensure that you have an unforgettable, premium experience,” Johanna Sarviharju says.
Everyone was also happily surprised by the extra energy executive education brought to their work.
“You would assume that studying alongside a demanding job is draining, but it’s actually quite the opposite. I felt like I was bursting with new energy and a strong drive to succeed. Every time I picked up new insights at Aalto EE, I immediately started thinking about how Reima as a company could benefit from those lessons,” Heljä Manninen says.
“Embracing the dream. That’s how it always felt when I got to step away from work routines to expand my thinking at Aalto EE. I gained tremendous energy, wonderful new friends, and valuable support networks for challenges. Studying as an experienced leader was one of the best decisions of my life. Colleagues I’ve worked with for years say I came back from Aalto EE a different person altogether,” Sari Perttunen concurs.
At Reima, supporting lifewide learning is seen as a sound investment. Heikki Lempinen notes that professional development can be encouraged in many ways: naturally by contributing to costs, but employers can also help by allowing employees to dedicate working hours to their studies and by offering inspiring case topics for their projects.
“Senior management can also support professional development by getting involved themselves. I’ve taken part in expert panels for Business Strategy projects, coaching the teams along the way. It’s been very rewarding – and enjoyable revisiting old memories at the Aalto University School of Business, where I once worked as a researcher,” he mentions.
“It’s been fantastic to see our employees gaining an extra boost and renewed motivation through high-quality education. Heljä, Sari, and Johanna are inspiring examples of how much an employer benefits from investing in the development of key personnel,” Heikki Lempinen says with a smile.