Minna Lindholm’s first 100 days as Managing Director: “Never underestimate the power of innovation, enthusiasm, and courage within teams”

HiQ Oy's Managing Director Minna Lindholm admits that, in the beginning, she knew relatively little about HiQ. However, leading a high-tech company was an inspiring opportunity she wanted to seize. Day by day, her impression of HiQ has only improved.

“I completely agree with the opinions of our customers and the market: we have outstanding consultants who do exceptional work and deliver a real 'wow' effect. Our lack of recognition is an opportunity to create something truly special, and it is an honor to be part of building our customers’ success stories. Whether it’s about the talent, projects, or areas where we excel, we need to share more of these with the world,” Lindholm says.

We have outstanding consultants who do exceptional work and deliver a real 'wow' effect. Our lack of recognition is an opportunity to create something truly special, and it is an honor to be part of building our customers’ success stories.

Managing Director

Minna Lindholm

Wisdom must come from the people in the organization

Lindholm is pleased with the support from leadership, as it strengthens her confidence and creates opportunities to further invest in the expertise of our consultants and enhance our competitiveness. However, she finds it outdated to think that wisdom solely resides within the executive team.

"Leadership that is highly hands-on does not work if people have to be forced to work. Trust is the foundation of leadership, and it is built on genuine interaction, open communication, and listening to employees. If people are not trusted, they will not trust their leaders either. This weakens the work environment and makes it harder to achieve goals,” Lindholm says.

“Wisdom must be drawn from the people in the organization by involving them and asking for their opinions. This is a way to show appreciation and is critical in building our shared future.”

Discussions with HiQ employees have been particularly fruitful and inspiring.

“In a short time, we have made small but meaningful changes. For example, we have created better conditions for operational management and focused on weekly leadership, increasing customer-centricity, and post-acquisition change management. We have also listened to our customers’ feedback on where we could assist them even more,” Lindholm explains.

HiQ values as part of the leadership philosophy: joy, responsibility, simplicity, results

Lindholm sees HiQ’s values – joy, responsibility, simplicity, and results – as the company’s compass, guiding towards innovative solutions and sustainable success.

“Together, we create an inspiring work environment where employees can grow and succeed, customers feel valued, and society benefits from our expertise. This sets the foundation for the company’s success. When we combine our passion, energy, trust, and pride, we can exceed expectations and create innovations that change the world."

These values also form the cornerstones of Lindholm’s leadership philosophy: teamwork, a balance between autonomy and responsibility, and a coaching approach. At HiQ, employees are heard, and efforts are made to create psychological safety and a culture of openness.

“We encourage collaboration, accountability, joy, and excellence – in other words, living fully according to our values. Passion ignites our ideas, energy drives us forward, trust unites us as a team, and pride motivates us to pursue excellence.”

Joy: “Positivity is always a good starting point, but it comes from individuals.”

“It’s always good to approach even challenging situations with positivity and the belief that others have good intentions,” Lindholm reflects.

Joy is concretely visible in HiQ’s people and everyday interactions, and maintaining positivity is everyone’s responsibility.

“We are now building a unified HiQ amidst change management and mergers. The merging of three different companies brings us closer together, and I want to build a company with a strong spirit of collaboration. We do not seek confrontation or a ‘cowboy culture,’ but aim to create conditions for teams to perform at their best. It’s a more sustainable and rewarding way to succeed, but it requires strong collaboration, trust, and continuous improvement.”

Joy and positivity are not limited to work culture but are also visible in the cooperation with customers.

“We are a breath of fresh air that awakens and inspires others. We are constantly finding ways to make the world a better place,” Lindholm concludes.

Together, we create an inspiring work environment where employees can grow and succeed, customers feel valued, and society benefits from our expertise.

Managing Director

Minna Lindholm

Responsibility: “I believe in autonomy and giving responsibility.”

Responsibility is multifaceted. On one hand, everyone has their own role and area to take care of. On the other hand, responsibility is about trusting that everyone will diligently take care of their tasks without constant supervision.

“Responsibility is given, but it’s also proactively taken. Each of us has the potential to shine as brightly as a star. When we believe in people and offer them opportunities, they find strength within themselves they didn’t know existed. They don’t just meet expectations; they exceed them many times over. When we create an environment where people dare to dream big, they become true innovators. They don’t fear failure but see it as an opportunity to grow,” Lindholm says.

Each of us has the potential to shine as brightly as a star. When we believe in people and offer them opportunities, they find strength within themselves they didn’t know existed. They don’t just meet expectations; they exceed them many times over.

Managing Director

Minna Lindholm

Responsibility also extends to customers: you can always trust that HiQ’s service meets expectations and even exceeds them.

“We don’t hesitate to tackle unclear situations: we raise our hand and say we are happy to investigate further.”

Simplicity: “Simplicity doesn’t mean poor or incomplete, but refined and polished like a diamond.”

We live in a complex world where simplicity is incredibly valuable. To Lindholm, simplicity does not mean deficiency but rather brilliance.

“It’s easy to build complex IT systems filled with unnecessary features. However, HiQ constantly strives to simplify complex systems, solutions, and technologies, ensuring that our customers get the best possible solutions for their business, along with a better customer experience.”

Results: “Pursuing excellence is not an end in itself.”

“HiQ is an incredibly fantastic company with the potential to grow even bigger. However, results come through vision and our values,” Lindholm emphasizes.

The pursuit of excellence is not an end in itself, but every effort must move toward a shared goal.

“When values are clear and the vision is sharp, we know the goals we are working towards. And of course, the more collaboration we do with our great customers, the better we can become.”