Login: FinlandIn this series, we highlight the individuals who make our business unique. Here, you will get to know the employees behind the successes – their journeys, talents, and how they contribute to shaping our culture. Through their stories, we gain insight into how individual strengths collaborate to create a dynamic and forward-thinking work environment.
If there is one person at Ropo who has seen it all – from the very first days to where we stand today – it is Teija Porthan, or as everyone knows her, Tepa. She has been part of the Ropo story since 2008, growing alongside the company through every twist, expansion, and transformation along the way. Few people carry as much institutional knowledge, and the deep product expertise that comes with nearly two decades of hands-on experience at the very core of the business.
From customer service to the heart of the platform
Teija joined Ropo when the company was still finding its footing – a small team, a handful of clients, and a lot of work to be done. She came in as a customer service professional, handling the day-to-day operations of a business that was, at the time, very much a hands-on, all-in operation.
“Back then, we took care of everything ourselves,” she recalls. “It was a small team, and everyone did what needed to be done.”
As Ropo grew, so did her responsibilities. She moved into a team lead role, eventually overseeing customer service operations across locations. But when the time came to consider taking on an even larger management role, Teija made a deliberate choice – one that would shape the rest of her career.
“I knew that people management wasn’t where I wanted to go. I wanted to stay close to the work itself.” With an engineering degree, a background in IT, and a deep knowledge of the Ropo One® platform she had been working with for years, the move to the technology side was a natural fit. The company recognized where her strengths could create the most value, and she transitioned into product development – eventually finding her footing as a Product Owner.
“My luck has been that Ropo has always seen where I could be at my best,” she says.
The art of problem-solving
Today, Teija’s days as a Product Owner are anything but routine. Mornings typically start with a quick team check-in – a short daily sync with the development team to review what is in progress, what needs attention, and what decisions are needed. From there, the day can go in almost any direction.
“Some days I’m deep in working through an integration change. Other days I’m in back-to-back meetings with barely a moment to breathe,” she says with a laugh.
What she enjoys most is the problem-solving at the core of the role. She describes herself as a logical thinker who genuinely enjoys mapping out how processes work – drawing out the picture, finding the solution, getting things moving. When a complex issue lands on her desk, she digs in.
“Sometimes I already have a sense of how to solve it. Other times, I have no idea at all. That’s when I really need to sit down and think it through, piece by piece.”
Prioritization remains the ongoing challenge. With requests coming in from multiple directions and a platform that touches every part of the invoice lifecycle, knowing which puzzle piece to tackle first is not always straightforward. It is something she navigates closely together with her manager, Ville Räsänen.
“Ville has been an absolute lifesaver when it comes to keeping things in balance. He genuinely understands the work and knows what is at stake. That makes all the difference for the whole team.”
A Culture where you can speak your mind – and be exactly who you are
What has kept her at Ropo for nearly two decades? The answer comes in two parts: the work itself, and the people.
Ropo has always had a remarkably flat hierarchy, something Teija values deeply. Titles exist, but they do not get in the way of honest conversation.
“If I have a problem, I can always go directly to the person who needs to hear it. There has never been a threshold for that here, regardless of who holds what title.”
She describes a culture where asking questions is encouraged, not frowned upon, and where being direct is a strength rather than an awkwardness to be managed. Even as Ropo has grown significantly and expanded across the Nordics, that spirit has remained intact.
“I can genuinely be who I am here. I’m probably not the easiest person, and definitely not the most conventional – but that has never been a problem,” she remarks with her characteristic laugh.
It is a quality that extends to cross-Nordic collaboration, too. Working with colleagues across Finland, Sweden, and Norway has brought its own learning curve – different working styles, different rhythms – but the shared direction and commitment to getting things done has always been the common thread.
When your closest work partner has four legs
While most of Teija’s closest collaborators at Ropo walk on two legs, one of her most important work partners has four – and a nose that never lies.
Away from the Ropo One® platform specs and Slack channels, Teija competes at the highest level in IGP – a demanding dog sport that combines tracking, obedience, and protection work. She has been involved in the sport since 2011, when her first Dobermann sparked an interest that has only deepened over the years.
This spring, she was part of the Finnish national team at the Dobermann IGP World Championships in Denmark – a milestone that has been in the making through months of preparation, setbacks, and the kind of perseverance that serious competition demands. At the Championships, the dog-and-handler teams competed for both individual and team medals, meaning every performance counted toward something bigger than the individual result.
“We had quite a tough run-up to the championships,” she admits. Her competition partner, a Dobermann named Moora, faced some health challenges through the spring, limiting training time in the lead-up to the competition. The final call on whether to compete was made on the ground in Denmark – and fortunately, Moora was ready to go.
There is a parallel to her professional life that Teija acknowledges with a smile. In IGP, as in product ownership, good outcomes depend on reading the situation accurately and making fast decisions with sometimes incomplete information – even when things do not go according to plan.
“In both, you sometimes just have to make the call. It’s not always the right one. But if it turns out to be wrong, you correct it and move on.”
When asked what IGP and her work at Ropo have most in common, the answer comes without hesitation: teamwork. Neither world is a solo endeavour. In IGP, success depends on a dedicated group of people who train together, commit to each other’s progress, and show up – not just for themselves, but for the whole team. The same, she says, is true at Ropo.
“You cannot do this alone – either of them. The team around you is everything. Hard work and commitment get you far, but it is the people alongside you that make it possible. That applies just as much on the training field as it does at Ropo.”
Teija Porthan
Product Owner
Ropo Group, Finland
Ropo was happy to support Teija and Moora on their journey to the Dobermann IGP World Championships in Denmark – we are proud to have you represent both Finland and Ropo on the international stage. Well done, Tepa!