New CTO Sakari Olli Believes in Courage, Trust and Collaboration
Samlink’s new CTO, Sakari Olli, is experienced in architecting of digital transformation for the banking industry. He has worked at the heart of the financial sector for a long time and held leadership positions in technology and architecture in several major companies in Nordic financial industry . He has played a central role in several critical system renewals, and in recent years, has focused particularly on digital transformation and business driven development initiatives.
“What interests me most about Samlink is the opportunity to build something new. The company is undergoing a transformation, with a new CEO, a renewing strategy and a clear determination to develop and transform operations. I feel this is a genuine chance to make a real impact,” Sakari says.
In his role as CTO, he is particularly motivated by the opportunity to lead people together towards a shared goal. He describes his leadership philosophy through three key themes: courage, collaboration and trust.
“It takes courage to challenge the status quo and do things differently. But just as important is building trust and creating an environment where people can succeed. Working together doesn’t happen by default. It is built through openness, listening, and shared understanding of targets”, he reflects.
Data-Driven Development Together with Experts
The financial sector is evolving rapidly, and the key to staying competitive increasingly lies in the ability to respond to changing customer needs. Technology must truly support business, not as a bottleneck, but as an enabler for transformation.
“Many banking services are becoming standardized, and banks need to understand how do they differentiate through their customer offering and services. It’s built on how well we understand the customer’s needs and how quickly we can respond to them. Technology must enable flexible, innovative and secure development, and this is where Samlink has a lot to offer,” Sakari explains.
For him, good technology leadership means the ability to agree on common targets and transparent collaboration between partners. Change is not created alone, but together with experts, step by step and in a measurable way. Under his leadership, Samlink’s technology management starts from a bank’s needs. Those needs, that are the foundation for development of winning banking services and enable users work easier.
“My goal is to understand the everyday reality of Samlink and our customers as deeply as possible. How different teams work, what the customers need, and what can genuinely be achieved with our technologies. Only then can we build the right solutions,” Sakari states.
Cybersecurity, Cloud Services and Basketball
When it comes to technology, Sakari is especially interested in AI and data-driven development, and the use of public cloud services to facilitate innovation and pragmatic implementation of cybersecurity.
“AI, automation and data-driven operations shouldn’t remain isolated experiments. They must be harnessed for real, tangible value.”
Although technology plays a major role in Sakari’s life, work also has its counterbalance. Kids, exercise and spending time together help maintain balance in daily life. His children’s basketball hobby, in particular, adds rhythm to his calendar.
“The best part of my work is that moment when the team finds a new way to solve a tough challenge and learns something new — and does it in a way that brings joy and pride. That’s what gives me energy and keeps me moving forward.”