“When an opportunity has come up, I have always grabbed it with both hands,” she says with a sparkle in her eye.
Variety is the spice of life
Quickly switching gears comes naturally to Malin both at home and at work. “At home I can quickly switch between being lazy and being very active; in front of the TV one minute and out running the next,” she smiles.
Family time is really important to me and on our homestead we pitch in together taking care of the buildings, animals and plants, working as a team.
After graduating with an MSc in technical biology in 2004, Malin joined Metsä Board – then known as M-Real – as a development engineer. Aside from a short period working for another organisation she’s been with the company ever since.
“Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to take on a diverse range of roles, including Production Engineer on our coating machine, Laboratory Manager and Manager of the pulp mill recovery department. What unites all these different roles is that they’re about people – I love to work as part of a team towards a common goal, and I love the variation that comes with it,” she explains. “No two days are the same.”
A culture that embraces flexibility and rewards confidence
Malin explains that she is the kind of person who dives deep into a role and is fully focused on her work, but she is still always ready to try something new. “Metsä Board has given me plenty of opportunities to take on new and different roles, which means I have plenty of experience across a wide variety of areas. Every time I’ve started a new role I’ve been able to bring something from my previous work that helps me to do my new job better,” she says.
I’ve never had a structured career plan in my head, I’ve just grabbed opportunities when they’ve been presented to me. Metsä Board’s culture rewards people who have the courage and confidence to take on new challenges.
Never a dull moment
Malin says that right now, she’s exactly where she wants to be, but that doesn’t mean she’s not ready for the next new challenge when it comes along. “I absolutely love my production manager role; I’m exactly where I want to be – in a job where I get to work with people, where every day brings new challenges. Boredom certainly isn’t a problem for me at work, and there are lots of exciting things coming up at Husum mill to keep me and my team busy,” she says.