Two years as CEO - Minna Lindholm is building HiQ into an agile, responsible and impactful technology company

Two years as CEO – Minna Lindholm is building HiQ into an agile, responsible and impactful technology company

Two years as CEO of HiQ have been a journey of change, growth and people’s potential for Minna Lindholm. It has been a fast-paced time, but above all, productive and inspiring. The direction has been built with determination, even in situations where not all the answers have been ready. In this article, she opens up about the time that has passed and her views on the future.

At HiQ, change has been driven forward through doing. Decisions are not left to spin endlessly, but things are tried out, the effects are monitored and the direction is corrected if necessary. According to Lindholm, this ability to act even in the midst of unfinished business has been one of the most important factors in the company’s renewal.

The future is built by looking beyond the present. At HiQ, we actively consider what kind of company we want to be in the future and what kind of expertise, culture and operating methods it requires.

Lindholm considers the greatest surprise in the role of CEO to be the scope of the job description. Although responsibility for strategy and operational performance requires managing the big picture, we cannot turn a blind eye to smaller matters. The altitude must also be flexible to lower levels, because that is often where the things that hinder operational profitability are found. Sometimes it is the small things that are significant: by correcting small structural casting defects, huge improvements and significantly better performance can be achieved.

Speed is HiQ’s superpower

One of HiQ’s clearest strengths is speed. Lindholm describes the organization as agile and capable. It can move from idea to implementation exceptionally quickly, which enables continuous development. It is easier to move forward when everything does not require precise protocols, processes or committees from which permission must be sought.

However, speed does not mean being lazy. It means the ability to learn, experiment and improve continuously. When the distance between decision-making and practical implementation is short, the organization is able to react quickly to customer needs and changes in the technology sector.

For Lindholm, this iteration speed is one of HiQ’s most important competitive advantages. If a better way of working is found, it can be implemented immediately. This is visible in both internal development and customer work: things can be taken forward without cumbersome structures, but still in a planned and responsible manner.

People’s potential matters

HiQ’s renewal is built above all on people, but its success also requires clear structures, functional processes and the ability to scale.

Lindholm describes the company’s experts as ambitious, competent and loyal professionals with a strong desire to develop and do their job well. HiQ has real superstars working in it.

Technical expertise is important, but it is not enough alone. HiQ’s strength also comes from attitude: curiosity, a desire to learn and the fact that people want to constantly develop themselves. Lindholm wants to help people see their own potential and grow towards it.

The goal is to build an organization where people can succeed and shine as themselves. When people feel good and feel their work is meaningful, it is also reflected in better quality and more effective solutions for customers.

In two years, HiQ has changed fundamentally

According to Lindholm, HiQ has changed significantly in two years. The change has not been a single project, but a renewal that affects the entire company.

The company has developed its operating methods, strengthened its expertise and clarified its direction. At the same time, there has been more transparency, goal-orientedness and the ability to manage operations with data.

In two years, new business has also been built from scratch, financial figures have been significantly increased and operational capabilities have been raised to a completely different level.

He says that he and his team have been able to build things that were not thought possible, and he wants to use them as guiding stars to remind him that almost anything is possible when you think big enough.

However, a change for the better does not mean that the work is finished. Above all, it tells Lindholm about the potential. HiQ is not satisfied with the current situation, but wants to go further, do more and be an even more meaningful partner for its customers.

Successes indicate the level of competence

The successes of recent years in a difficult market demonstrate the breadth of HiQ’s expertise, and Lindholm says he is proud of the team that manages to gain the trust of its customers. One of the reasons for pride is the service provided to the Defence Forces, which was awarded the itSMF Service Management Deed of the Year award.

Another notable example is related to design, artificial intelligence and data. HiQ won gold at the European Design Awards for an implementation in which a nationally significant archive was transformed into a living experience using modern technology.

Successes do not happen by chance. Behind them are competent teams, high-quality delivery and the ability to combine technology, user understanding and customer goals into a functional whole.

Strategy must respond to a changing world

The technology sector is undergoing a major transformation. Customer needs are changing, the use of artificial intelligence is accelerating, the importance of cybersecurity is growing, and geopolitical uncertainty is also affecting companies’ technology decisions.

We must be able to respond to global changes. For example, the defense and security sector, cybersecurity, and Atlassian expertise form an entity that supports customers’ operational capabilities, efficiency, transparency, and security.

Lindholm wants to emphasize outside-in thinking. First, we need to understand what the world, customers, and society need. Then, we build our own expertise to meet these needs. In Lindholm’s opinion, the situation gives HiQ a great opportunity to invest in developing its own expertise.

Artificial intelligence is one of the biggest drivers of change. According to Lindholm, mastering it will be extremely important in the future, regardless of role. At the same time, cybersecurity affects practically every organization. In the changed world situation, security, business continuity, resilience, digital operational capability, and sovereignty have become even more important.

According to Lindholm, it has been surprising how a company like HiQ can genuinely impact the lives of many Finns through the services it provides. He talks about the great social responsibility and how Finland remains operational and everyday life functions.

When owned by a private equity investor, speed is part of everyday life

HiQ operates as a portfolio company owned by a private equity investor. According to Lindholm, this is particularly evident in the pace, ambition and the way in which the company is developed with determination. Lindholm has found working for a private equity investor to be truly wonderful. However, he does not feel much pressure. According to him, HiQ has a lot of untapped potential and Lindholm wants to help people see that they have more than they believe.

The owner’s strategy is based on both organic growth and acquisitions. Acquisitions enable rapid moves into new areas of expertise and markets that would take considerably longer to build from scratch. The aim is not to maintain the current situation, but to improve and develop operations.

Several acquisitions have been made in Finland, and the task of operational management is to combine organizations and build a stronger entity from them. According to Lindholm, for employees, this means everyday life where the hierarchy is low and you can make an impact through your own actions.

Profitable growth is built on quality

Growth cannot be based solely on increasing turnover. For Lindholm, profitable growth comes from the right expertise, high-quality delivery, personnel development and customer trust.

HiQ invests heavily in the quality of deliveries, and it is not considered a separate support function, but rather part of the core of the business. The quality of deliveries has been improved enormously in two years and has been made systematic. Projects are monitored at the management team level and already at the sales stage, we consider how the project is going to be delivered and what risks it involves. According to him, profitability is built precisely in deliveries.

The quality is naturally also backed by triple ISO certification: 9001 for quality, 14001 for environmental issues and 27001 for information security. These involve mandatory training from top management to every employee, which guarantees the right way of working.

HiQ’s goal is to deliver solutions that eliminate problems and create real value for the customer. It requires transparent operations, data-driven management and continuous improvement.

Alongside growth, HiQ wants to foster a culture where people feel good about themselves. Lindholm raises the company’s values: First, he mentions Joy and the opportunity created by the work community to come to work completely as oneself. Results means that work is done in the right way and with goals in mind, so that development occurs at both the individual and organizational levels. Lindholm also considers Responsibility to be particularly important, as it enables growth and gives value to individual competence.

Leadership requires clear direction and the ability to listen

Lindholm’s leadership combines high standards, humanity and a desire to understand different people. Meeting people has also ensured development in the CEO’s work. He considers it important that a leader knows how to articulate the direction in a way that feels meaningful.

In change, a common mission must be made visible right from the start. After that, communication is needed constantly: where we are going, what is working, what is not and what to do next.

However, communication cannot only go in one direction, from management to personnel. The company must also build channels for ideas and observations to rise from the organization and from employees to management. People must be asked so that valuable thoughts do not go unsaid.

AI expertise is built together

HiQ does not want to leave the use of artificial intelligence to chance. The company is building forums where people can share their experiences, experiments and best practices.

The goal is that no one falls behind in the development of artificial intelligence. Learning must be shared and continuous, and must not be limited to individual projects.

Artificial intelligence must change from a phenomenon to a practice. This means everyday experiments, sharing of expertise, surveys, learning paths and the opportunity to develop expertise even when artificial intelligence cannot yet be used in your own customer project. A recent AI survey received a huge number of responses and the active use of artificial intelligence had increased dramatically in three months.

The future expert also needs working life skills

As AI accelerates the fundamentals, the factors that differentiate an expert will change. Technical expertise will remain important, but interaction, collaboration, critical thinking and the ability to be a good colleague will increasingly emerge alongside it.

AI is a good helper, but it does not replace a person’s own critical thinking. Your mind must be fed with high-quality information, because higher-quality thinking generates higher-quality decisions. An expert must be able to evaluate the content produced by AI, ensure its quality and identify errors.

This is particularly emphasized from the perspective of information security and responsible technology. A convincing-looking end result is not necessarily correct. Therefore, human expertise, judgment and quality assurance will continue to play a decisive role.

In three years, HiQ will be even more convincing

Lindholm has his eyes firmly on the future. In three years, he wants to see HiQ where the dynamic culture is strong, the number of employees has grown and the trust of customers has been strengthened.

The goal is a company that can deliver more value to customers and at the same time have a wider impact on society. HiQ does not wait for the world to change for it. It wants to be involved in building change, customers’ operational capabilities and a better everyday life.

Never stop learning

Lindholm’s message to HiQ’s people and those interested in the technology sector is clear: never stop learning.

Technology, customer needs and the world are changing. That is why curiosity is a resource that is worth nurturing and nurturing, and one must not lose one’s own enthusiasm.

Lindholm encourages people to trust in their own work and promises that HiQ wants to continue to be the best possible place for its employees to prove their skills.

HiQ’s direction is built on people, expertise, quality and the courage to innovate. When an organization learns quickly, makes decisions and keeps people at the center of change, it is able to build technology that has a real impact.