Commercial and operational expertise

Skills

I have more than 10 years of leadership experience as an entrepreneur, CEO, and business unit leader. My background includes P&L ownership, team leadership, and leading businesses through growth, change, and controlled wind-downs. My strength is combining commercial leadership, digital business development, and hands-on execution. My experience spans e-commerce, sales, marketing, operational development, organization building, and change leadership.

Matti Ikalainen in the Nuuksio forest

Building and scaling businesses

I have built and grown businesses both as an entrepreneur and in leadership roles within established companies. My background is strongest in digital business, digital marketing, e-commerce, and SaaS. I combine commercial thinking with hands-on execution, end-to-end ownership, and a clear view of the whole business. I also have P&L leadership experience as both a CEO and a business unit leader. I have worked in high-growth phases where I led the development of processes, operating models, and systems to support scale.

  • business building
  • scaling
  • growth
  • digital business
  • entrepreneurship
  • commercial models

Operational leadership and performance improvement

Operational leadership is one of my strongest areas. I am strong at turning strategic goals into day-to-day execution, clarifying ways of working, improving processes, and raising efficiency. My experience includes implementing new systems, identifying root causes, and removing bottlenecks. I have led operations in both growth and wind-down phases. I combine systems thinking, prioritization, and practical execution in a way that improves flow and performance in everyday work.

  • operational leadership
  • performance improvement
  • process development
  • efficiency
  • KPI leadership
  • execution

Organization building and change leadership

I have experience building teams, developing operating models, and leading organizations through both growth and change. I have led multiple change initiatives, including system implementations, operating model redesigns, business pivots, and controlled wind-downs. My work has also included leading integrations and reorganizations.

  • organization building
  • change leadership
  • operating models
  • reorganization
  • integration
  • leadership in transition

Practical Track Record

  1. 1.I built Eeco Oy from a small digital agency into one of Finland's leading e-commerce agencies. The company was eventually acquired.
  2. 2.At Fonecta, I led the e-commerce business unit and delivered more than a 30% efficiency improvement in a short period.
  3. 3.I was responsible for the controlled wind-down of a business unit, while staying within budget and keeping key stakeholders aligned.
  4. 4.I built the sales model, introduced CRM practices and automations, and increased sales efficiency by more than 50% within a year.

Tools

Analytics

  • Google Analytics
  • Hotjar
  • Crazy Egg
  • UTM Tracking
  • PowerBI

CRM and Sales

  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot
  • ActiveCampaign
  • Pipedrive

Marketing

  • Meta
  • Google Ads
  • HubSpot
  • Klaviyo
  • Mailchimp
  • Marketo
  • Semrush

Websites and E-commerce

  • Shopify
  • WordPress
  • Adobe Commerce

Project Management

  • Trello
  • Asana
  • Monday
  • Jira

AI Tools

  • ChatGPT
  • Perplexity
  • Copilot
  • Codex
  • Claude Code
  • Gemini