Sanna Kulmala
About Me
I glow when leading groups and networks, training, coaching, facilitating workshops and planning and leading all this. My leisure activities include sports, outdoor activities, continuous self-development and just chilling. To learn more about me, keep exploring my site or reach out directly.
My Experience
Roles & Responsibilities
Learning and Development Specialist, Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment in Pirkanmaa (Pirkanmaan ELY-keskus)
August 2020 ->
Collaborating with the stakeholders involved in continuous learning, such as educational institutions, public services and private sector.
As a concrete asset I’ve created a map of stakeholders providing continuous learning services in the Tampere region. The map makes visible the systemic nature of continuous learning, the challenges involved, the ways to collaborate on it plus organization specific cards.
After creating the map, I've led the strategy work of continuous learning in Pirkanmaa. The systemic development work continues based on the strategy and the goals set together with the leaders. Read more on the next steps.
In my work, I'm constantly facilitating organisations to find new, agile ways for continuous learning to match the needs of employers and individuals to guarantee competitiveness and economic growth in the area.
Recently, my work has concentrated more and more on strategic and operational Foresight. I've been a key member in a local foresight project in which the aim was to find out what skills will be needed in the social Services and Health Care within 5-years time span.
I've also led a regional development project called Poweria työelämään. I was responsible for leading the project, guiding an internal project team and coordinating and facilitating a planning team consisting of 14 different organisations. The project's keywords were digitalisation, digital skills, learning, well-being and productivity. Read more about the project in the report.
I’m active in other networks too. I was tightly involved in a regional lifelong learning program led by Sitra, and a core actor in a national continuous learning network, in which I was responsible for e.g. communications.
I’m also a member of the communications team of our unit. I’ve created lots of contents and launched actions aiming improve the employer image. As a concrete action, I initiated the creation of the Pirkanmaa ELY LinkedIn profile.
On the side, I’ve participated in Learning mentor training and Network leadership program.
Training Manager, HappyOrNot Oy
April 2018Â -
Building and developing customer learning and training ecosystem
Leading customer-specific training projects
Training and coaching customers
Creating online learning and training materials
Managing content creation projects, e.g. being a content producer and the project manager of a website project
Customer Care Specialist, HappyOrNot Oy
January 2018 - April 2018
Providing on-going support for HappyOrNot customers, resellers and internal employees
Ensuring smooth service start for new customers by administering their service structures in the HappyOrNot Reporting
Sales Service Specialist, Atea Finland Oy
October 2017 - December 2017
Supporting corporate customer accounts as primary daily point of contact for assigned customer organizations
Handling order-to-delivery process
Updating customers’ product selection and pricing in Atea webshop
Teacher:Â English, Swedish, German, French -Â Various Schools
August 2009 - September 2017
Teaching, educating, coaching
Experience from over 20 schools
From primary schools to upper secondary schools
Thousands of lessons run, and learned!
Project Administrator, Bentley Systems Finland Oy
April 2006 - August 2007
Handling the administration of consulting and training projects in SAP throughout their life-cycle
Assisting in financial reporting: compiling documentation for forecasts, audits, accruals and deferrals
Various jobs abroad and in Finland
1997 - 2004
Translator at Triolab Oy;Â Translator-Trainee in the European Commission in Brussels;Â Project Assistant at Nouveau Koulutus Oy, Tourist Guide in Salzburg;Â Austria;Â Au Pair in Etoy, Switzerland, Warehouse keeper;Â Waitress;Â Garden Helper;Â Forestry Assistant
My Skills
Tricks of the Trade
Future-oriented Thinking and Mapping Future Skills and Learning Needs
Besides being future-oriented in all my actions, I have, through my latest work, delved deep into understanding what the future brings, especially in the light of learning needs, and skills individuals should develop in the light of coming societal changes.
Foresight methods, and understanding both the changes happening now and in the future are essential skills when mapping and planning the future learning needs of individuals and organisations.
Working in Networks and Leading Networks
My current job is all about working in different networks. Working and influencing in networks effectively is a skill that becomes more and more important in the complex and systemic world. Many wicked problems can't be solved by individual organisations only; instead, a joint action is needed to overcome them.
My current job consists of projects in the core of which is the collaboration and development work in cross-organisational teams. My role in the projects varies from being an active member to leadership.
To increase my network leadership skills, I've participated in a Network Leadership program, which has helped me to understand both the theory and practice of how to build and lead functional networks. These learnings and skills can be applied to leading any groups, teams, or strategies.
Learning & Training
I've got a strong educational background and pedagogical knowledge, and a strong passion for everything learning-related!
I know how people learn - how the learning process works, what are efficient learning and training methods, and how to boost learning, and to create inspirational training contents and pieces of training.
I love to plan, build, lead and implement learning programs for different needs and organizations.
I believe skills are the most valuable assets in organisations and therefore those who invest in learning are the most successful ones.
I also have an endless passion for continuously learning new!
Strategic Development
I'm good at seeing the pig picture. I can easily perceive connections between things and understand cause and effect relationships. I can apprehend systemic phenomena, and I've learned to see and develop things strategically.
People Skills & Leadership
It’s all about people. My experiences in education have molded me into a good listener and a coach. Good people skills make me an excellent group leader. I'm interested in how people work together, and what are the ingredients of a successful team/organisation/network. I loce to improve collaboration methods, and how a team can make the most out of its members!
Service Design & (Virtual) Facilitation
I've had a pleasure to get to know service design and facilitation during the past years. They both complete my skills set perfectly, and the working methods used in both of them match my thinking of how things should be done.
Workshopping, collaborating, communicating, ideating, and doing things jointly better make my heart jump!
Read about my learning journey with Virtual Facilitation here!
Content Production
Writing is one of my passions and enjoy playing with words and languages. I love to create content and assets: website texts, learning materials, newsletter texts, event or workshop marketing & comms, project comms, playbooks, guides - anything you need.
Both my theses also had a tight connection to words: the first one was about translating wordplays, the second one about developing vocabulary richness in a second language.
Lately, I've delved into the world of video production, and even though only starting to master that area of expertise, it seems to be a pleasant acquaintance!
Languages and Cultural Diversity
I just love languages! I'm curious about words, and how people communicate all around the world. Cultural diversity has always intrigued me, and it led me to study foreign languages after my graduation from upper secondary school and has brought me to seek adventures in different countries.
I speak English fluently and my French and German are pretty good still, and I know how to do talk about the weather in Swedish, and order a coffee in Italian and Spanish.
Project Management
Project work with agreed steps and a deadline suits me well. As a goal-oriented person, it's great to mark things done! Whenever I'm working on a project, I focus on it fully but love to see the end goal behind the corner. Then, it's time for the next one!
And as a curious and energetic person, it's not a big deal for me to lead several projects simultaneously.
Computer Skills
It's easy for me to learn new technologies, tools and platforms. I learn them best by trying. I master different educational, language, learning, facilitation and collaboration technologies, platforms and tools. I can use e.g. GoToMeeting, GoToWebinar, Talent LMS, Articulate 360, Moodle, Edmodo, eTwinning, Howspace, Padlet, Flinga, Quizziz, Quizlet, Kahoot, Wordle, Mentimeter and Jamboard.
I've got experience in working in both Office 365 and G Suite Environments. I'm also familiar with using Salesforce, SAP PS, Wordpress, Webropol, USPA, Kieku and Camtasia, just to name a few. And there are more coming all the time!
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Education
My Studies
Service Design and Business Development, Tampere University of Applied Sciences
March 2019 - May 2019
Complementing my skills
5 credits
English, University of Turku
August 2009 – December 2015
120 credits
Teacher Training, University of Turku
September 2007 – May 2008
60 credits
M.A. in French Translation Studies,Â
University of Turku
September 1999 - February 2006
Minor subjects: German Translation Studies, Political Science, Finnish, Language Studies
Erasmus Student Exchange, Aix-en-Provence, France, 2002 – 2003
Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.
Mahatma Gandhi
Interests and Hobbies
Personal Enjoyment
Sports
My Way of Relaxing: cycling, jogging, gym - just name it!
Outdoor Activities and Nature
My Second Nature is to be close to the nature: trekking, hiking, spending time with my closest family members or just by myself - a perfect way to boost the energies!
Self-Development and Just Chilling
This is one my Favorite Pastimes: listening to podcasts, reading articles, blogs or books. There's always something interesting to learn out there - or an intriguing detective story to read or watch!