Alumni interview with Patrick Lapveteläinen: “Dare to take risks when you're young – and aim a little higher”
“It was a very special period of time. Suddenly, a great deal was happening in finance – the market opened up and there was a wave of new stock market listings,” Lapveteläinen recalls.
Inspired by these emerging opportunities, Lapveteläinen and a group of fellow students founded a brokerage firm in Vaasa while still studying. The company went through several mergers and was eventually acquired by Sampo, where Lapveteläinen worked for a total of 23 years. Following the demerger of Mandatum and Sampo, he became Executive Chair of the Board of Mandatum.
Throughout his professional career, Lapveteläinen has worked with investments, corporate acquisitions and strategic leadership. His interest in both investment and societal development has remained constant.
“When you are genuinely interested in what you do, it becomes part of your life. It’s something that goes on around the clock.”
Lapveteläinen is also a member of Hanken’s Board, a role he sees as a way of giving back to his alma mater. He is positive about Hanken’s development and believes the School offers a high-quality education that does well in international competition.
“The funding of higher education institutions can never be taken for granted, and there is always a degree of political risk involved. For Hanken, maintaining its independent status is crucial. This is best achieved by safeguarding the School’s finances and actively securing external funding,” he says.
One issue particularly close to his heart is how Finland could succeed in convincing the highly educated young people to stay in the country.
“We educate people to a very high standard, yet many choose to move abroad. Entrepreneurship is absolutely essential if we want to create jobs and confidence in the future in Finland. At the moment, taxes are simply too high. We need to demonstrate that this is a country where it pays to be an entrepreneur.”
Lapveteläinen looks back on his time at Hanken as the best period of his life. One aspect he considers especially unique is the strong sense of community.
“The social network you build at Hanken is exceptional. It also makes a real difference that the School is relatively small – it allows for a strong sense of belonging,” he says.
His advice to today’s Hanken students is clear:
“Work hard and dare to aim a little higher. Take risks while you are young – that’s when you have the greatest freedom to try, fail and learn.”
Lapveteläinen still owns a summer house in his hometown of Kaskinen, where he spends much of his free time hunting. He also plays both tennis and golf.
“I have far too many hobbies, so I’m a bit bad at all of them,” he says with a laugh.
Text and photo: Marlene Günsberg
In this article series, we interview Hanken alumni. Do you know someone you think we should interview? Or do you want to volunteer yourself? Email us with tips at alumni@hanken.fi.