Employee Spotlight: Miika Ojanen, Product Owner – Christmas Edition

In this Employee Spotlight, we introduce Miika Ojanen, one of our Product Owners based in Kuopio, Finland.

Miika plays a key role in bridging the gap between business and development across multiple contexts. His responsibilities include overseeing different functionalities within our systems, ensuring they work as intended, and guiding their development. For Miika, communication with stakeholders is the cornerstone of success.

Recently, Miika has been involved in two major projects. The first focused on ensuring that Ropo One meets the Verification of Payee (VoP) requirements mandated by the EU Instant Payment Regulation. The second project involved redesigning how credit loss entries are handled in Ropo One, making them more adaptable to each client’s credit loss logic.

When asked about a typical day in his role, Miika explains: “Every day starts with reviewing what’s ahead, usually based on what was left unfinished the previous day. At 9 AM, I meet with the development team to check ongoing developments. The rest of the day is spent planning and gathering requirements for upcoming features, sharing information about new releases, and ensuring everything works as intended.”

As we approach the holiday season, we asked Miika a few festive questions. For him, a real Christmas tree is essential: “It doesn’t need to be raised—any tree grown in the forest works. When the Christmas tree is brought in, part of the Christmas spirit comes with it.”

When asked which Christmas song best represents Ropo’s culture, Miika smiles: “Tip Tap by Elastinen. When there’s a need to push, we push; when it’s time to relax, we relax.”

His favorite Christmas gift: “Not a traditional gift, but the best thing has always been the time when relatives gather together for Christmas dinner without any rush.”

And what truly makes it feel like Christmas: “It’s the activities on Christmas Eve—rice porridge in the morning, some sports before the midday sauna, and then relaxing with family while waiting for Santa.”

Finally, we couldn’t resist asking about his baking skills: “I haven’t baked much for Christmas—chocolate has been my go-to. But this year, I hope to finally organize cookie baking for the kids in my housing community.”

Thank you, Miika, for sharing your story. We are very pleased to have you at Ropo.

In our Employee Spotlight series, we celebrate the people behind Ropo. These stories showcase their unique paths, passions, and contributions – and offer a glimpse into what it’s like to grow your career with us.