Johanna Horsma: "The Nokian Tyres team is made for demanding conditions"

Johanna Horsma thrives amid change. She has worked at Nokian Tyres for about five years, during a period of organizational changes, a global pandemic, and geopolitical instability. Johanna has been working in her current position as Chief Transformation Officer a bit more than a year. The role is new in the company, and includes, for example, implementing and supporting many changes in the company. In addition, Johanna has strategy work and M&A projects on her desk, as well as the tax and structure team. The thrill of the work is variety – there is not a single long-winded day. "It's a great opportunity for me and all of us that we don't necessarily have to fit into predetermined boxes," Johanna praises. 

Nokian Tyres' products are made for demanding conditions. In recent years, the conditions have also been demanding for the company and the team. According to Johanna, the most important thing in a new kind of operating environment is to realize that growth and success still stem from the things Nokian Tyres is already strong or the best at. 

“We have solid expertise in the company, and the skills to work together and help each other. We have witnessed how one valuable part of the whole can be lost overnight, but with our expertise and the abilities of enthusiastic people, we can build it back even better together.” 

With the lost part, Johanna refers to Russia and the withdrawal from there. The process was a big 
change that required a lot. There was no ready-made model for withdrawal and the means had to be developed along the way. The whole team did a tremendous job. In the present, however, the most mportant thing is to focus on the future: How do we build better than ever Nokian Tyres? 

According to Johanna, we are in a good position because we quickly had clear plans in place and had already focused our product development to meet our new strategic goals. 
Change covers the whole company and is here to stay. To keep up with the competition, we also need to change, like our operating environment constantly does. In Johanna's role, change is always present, but most of us work in roles where change is not necessarily a daily occurrence. However, we can all work together to improve our methods, processes and tools to meet the new operating environment. 

“The need for renewal has become permanent – not only for us, but for all companies operating in the industrial sector. Companies have to think about the possible relocation, capabilities, and processes of their factories to operate as efficiently as possible in the current environment.” 

According to Johanna, Nokian Tyres' strengths also include the company's size and low hierarchy. 
"Cross-cutting change is always challenging. Our advantage is that we are a small, international company that focuses on niche segments and offers premium products, and we can operate quickly and agilely also in demanding conditions. This advantage, combined with strong expertise, a good team and seamless cooperation, ensures we can work many wonders compared to the competition.”