New Chief Technology Officer to strengthen Mezzoforte Oy’s growth

Mezzoforte is a Finnish company founded in 2005 that develops the Huutokaupat.com website. Huutokaupat.com is a marketplace for buying and selling, enabling reliable and fair trading. The price of the items for sale is determined through an open and transparent auction, and the concept uniquely combines traditional auctioning, sustainability and the ease of trading made possible by technology. Huutokaupat.com is trusted by companies from a wide range of sectors, real estate agents, cities, municipalities and public authorities.

Joonas Pihlajamaa has been selected as Mezzoforte Oy’s new Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and member of the management team. Pihlajamaa has started in his new position on 5 August 2024.

Joonas Pihlajamaa brings strong insight and knowledge of the changing technology landscape to our organisation and management team. His strong data and analytics skills will strengthen our strategic and operational activities and decision making to achieve our business goals“, comments Mirjami Kirjonen, Mezzoforte’s HR Director.

Mezzoforte has been experiencing strong growth, supported by Vaaka Partners becoming a majority shareholder through an acquisition in early 2023. The new ownership base and strategy will act as an enabler for significant growth over the coming years, supporting the shared ambitions of Vaaka Partners and Huutokaupat.com management to be a pioneer in online auctions and a marketplace for second-hand goods. To achieve these growth objectives, the need for a completely new CTO role was also identified. The new CTO will be responsible for helping the company and its technology teams deliver great value to service users, as well as being responsible for delivering solutions and continuous improvement to the organisation’s technology needs.

Commenting on his selection, Pihlajamaa said, “I am very excited to have been selected for the role and believe that I can bring my background and expertise to make the desired contribution to the growth story of Huutokaupat.com. The role of CTO is an excellent extension of my own background, but it also offers a lot of new and interesting things to learn“, says Pihlajamaa.

Joonas Pihlajamaa

Technology as a key driver for business

In this recruitment process, Mezzoforte was looking for a skilled technology leader who could combine technical expertise with innovative thinking, leveraging data and developing AI capabilities.

The most important factors in this recruitment were to find a visionary and experienced technology leader who is suitable for an organisation of the size of Mezzoforte,” says Kirjonen, and continues, “We placed particular emphasis on the ability to combine technology, data and our rapidly growing business needs in the current technology revolution.”

Technology is therefore central to the success of Mezzoforte’s business as a whole and to the development of its own e-commerce platform. Combining technology, AI and data on a platform that benefits individuals and society was a clear motivating factor for Pihlajamaa.

I myself have always had a passion for using technology to benefit both individuals and society. Huutokaupat.com is an excellent example of the possibilities of a digital platform in this area – both society and the environment benefit from a circular economy that works alongside the individual seller and buyer. In addition, the possibility of using artificial intelligence in marketplaces and building it into a success factor is very interesting for the future“, says Pihlajamaa.

Trust as an enabler of success

Avila and Mezzoforte have been working together since 2022. Successful projects and a strong understanding of the technology landscape have created a deep relationship of trust between the two organisations.

We chose Avila as a partner for our executive search as well, as previous successful recruitments have created a strong relationship of trust between us. We also found it extremely important to have a comprehensive understanding of the technology sector and its current recruitment situation. Avila has performed all our joint assignments with high quality, both in terms of direct search and aptitude assessments”, says Kirjonen.

As the recruitment process progressed, trust was also reflected as a key factor between the recruiting organisation and the candidates. At the end of the process, the candidates were no longer facing a final decision, as their commitment to the role and the organisation had already formed during the process.

The duration of the recruitment process was, in my opinion, appropriate for such a role, as it also allowed me to reflect and commit myself to the role and the organisation. The recruitment process went very smoothly from the initial contact and every conversation and psychological aptitude assessment took the process forward very well“, said Pihlajamaa.

Mikko Savusalo from Avila, who acted as project manager in the recruitment process, also commented: “The direct search was an excellent success and a good example of how a successful recruitment process is about building trust between each stakeholder involved in the process. Mezzoforte’s image as an employer, the direction of the company and the responsibilities of the role generated widespread interest among applicants, and a quality recruitment process turned this interest into trust. I believe that Joonas will make a significant contribution to Mezzoforte’s future growth.”

Avila wishes Joonas Pihlajamaa and Mezzoforte good luck and success for the future!

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Matias Saarni
040 359 0156
matias.saarni[at]avila.fi

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