I didn't start as a coach. I started as an accounting assistant. My story, in case you're wondering who will be sitting across from you.
The specialist years
I began my career at a bank counter, advising clients on their everyday finances. Later, KPMG took a chance on me: I joined as an accounting assistant with zero accounting experience, and six months in I was a Chief Accountant managing complex clients. Business owners started bringing me their other companies, ones that weren't even part of KPMG's portfolio.
I learned early that trust is built through reliability, and I learned, painfully, what a workplace feels like when trust breaks down. That experience taught me something no textbook had: qualifications and achievements can be completely overshadowed by how a person treats others. A close friend of mine puts it best: "It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice." It became something of a compass for me.
The leadership years
In 2019, I stepped into my first leadership role at Stora Enso: team lead for a team of six and, two months in, my first truly difficult conversation. From there, I grew from leading one team to leading leaders, building and directing a global finance function with people across Estonia, Finland, the Netherlands, and Brazil. Today my focus at Stora Enso has shifted to a full-time transformation project, a different kind of leadership, and a reminder that change never stops asking something new of you.
Along the way, I've navigated reorganizations, integrations, and constant change in a company that seemed to reinvent itself every year. I've learned that:
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You get the attitude you're willing to tolerate. Culture is defined by what a leader allows, and difficult conversations, though underestimated, are how you build it with intention.
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The most precious thing you can give your team is your time. Not once a year. Weekly.
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You don't need deep expertise to give meaningful feedback. You need observation: seeing not just what people do, but how they do it.
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Change should refine your approach, but never your core values.
The turn toward coaching
The year that tested me most was also the year I discovered what coaching really is. During the Hult Ashridge Executive Leadership Program, I experienced the power of an executive coach first-hand: not someone who hands you answers, but someone who asks the question that shifts your entire perspective.
I knew then that I wanted to be that person for others.
With the support of Estonian Business School, I completed my Practitioner Diploma in Executive Coaching; now I'm working toward ICF ACC accreditation. Coaching isn't a career change for me, it's the continuation of how I've always tried to lead.
What I believe
People deliver their best when they are challenged in ways that make them feel valued, supported, and trusted to grow. Sustainable performance comes from engaged, empowered people, not from pressure.
And leadership is measured not only by results, but by the growth of others.
Credentials
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Practitioner Diploma in Executive Coaching, Estonian Business School
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Working toward ICF ACC accreditation
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Hult Ashridge Executive Leadership Program
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MA in Accounting and Finance
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7+ years leading international finance teams; Director at Stora Enso
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Coaching languages: Estonian, English, Russian
Curious whether we'd be a good fit?
The best way to find out is a conversation. The first one is free, 30 minutes, no strings attached.