Developing Capabilities to Drive Strategic Change 

When Riikka Mattila stepped into her role as Chief Human Resources Officer at Stockmann in 2020, the company was in the midst of a strategic renewal. The updated strategy placed the customer at the center and with that came a clear realization: the organization needed to further develop its people’s skills in service of that customer focus. 

To lead this transformation, Riikka sought an experienced HR professional for a five-month Interim Talent Manager assignment. The goal was ambitious yet clear: to build a talent management strategy that truly supports customer-centricity and to weave that mindset into everyday work. 

A partnership grounded in trust and shared ambition 

Before joining Stockmann, Riikka had worked with one of our consultants during her time at Scandic, a collaboration that had already proven successful. So when the need for an interim talent leader arose, she reached out to us again. 

Defining the right profile is always the cornerstone of success: 

• What are the key goals? 
• What kind of expertise does the company need? 
• And what kind of person fits both the team and the culture? 

“The way a person works really matters, because we’re also building our culture as we go,” Mattila explains. 

Within just two weeks, we found exactly the right match from our network, a seasoned expert in talent and organizational development. 

From vision to action: bringing customer-centricity to life 

The interim professional stepped into a demanding role: leading the talent development team, launching planned projects, building development groups, and designing the structures and practices that would support learning and capability-building in the long run. 

For Riikka, success was measured in concrete progress. She set clear goals, ensured onboarding and support, and stayed closely connected throughout the assignment. 

An interim engagement, when done right, is an investment that extends far beyond the contract’s end date. 

“One of the key responsibilities was to create a model that makes learning and development a natural part of daily life — long after the interim period ends,” Mattila says. 

External insight also challenged Stockmann to reflect on its direction and decisions. 

“It’s valuable to bring in perspectives from outside, to test existing ideas or open up entirely new ones,”  

Building capability and confidence 

This wasn’t our first collaboration with Riikka. The first project focused on employment relations support; this time, the need was for a development-oriented HR professional. 

“I give credit for the ability to find the right person for two very different needs and profiles,” Mattila notes.