Innomentarium’s team was reinforced with an experienced specialist this spring. Esa Kupiainen (M.Sc. in Industrial Engineering and Management) began to work as Consultant and Advisor in the recently launched hospital project business at Innomentarium.
Having built a long career in the field of health technology, Kupiainen started his new job at Innomentarium in the beginning of April. He has worked in the medical field since 1993, when he became Medko Medical’s (at that time Instrumentarium’s project exporting department) Project Manager. His tasks included implementing and fortifying hospital projects.
When GE Healthcare acquired Instrumentarium in 2003, as a result of the merger Kupiainen began working for GE Healthcare. He was responsible for implementing various projects at GE, including project sales and funding. Kupiainen’s career at GE lasted until 2014, when GE’s unit in Finland decided to end its project sales business altogether. After that Kupiainen has worked as an advisor and consultant at Comboral Oy, which specializes in mobile health care.
“The most important job change in my career happened in 1993, when I was able to enter into the health technology field upon becoming a Project Manager at Medko Medical, where I carried out various hospital projects. From then on I have enjoyed working in different hospital projects for over 20 years, already. My first project at Medko Medical involved a burn treatment hospital in Moscow, where I met Jouni Ihme for the first time. So, Jouni and I have already a 20-year journey together behind us”, tells Kupiainen about his long history in the field and with his new employer.
The goal is to become the new export engine for hospital projects
Kupiainen and Ihme unofficially started their latest cooperation already in 2014. The duo discussed ways to create a new export engine and hospital project packager in Finland after GE terminated its project sales business in Finland. They studied the matter together with Finpro, Soprano, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Finnvera, to name a few, and now the many years of background work finally appear to bear fruit.
“Because there is still much demand for hospital projects around the world, in the spring of 2014 Jouni and I began to look into whether a new export engine for the hospital project sector could be found in Finland. We were able to enlist several parties to support this research, and now it appears that our efforts are finally bearing fruit. A new operator will begin exporting hospital projects from Finland this spring with the goal of advancing exporting of Finnish hospital equipment to international projects”, Kupiainen explains.
Indeed, Kupiainen’s first task at Innomentarium is to be a Consultant and Advisor in this project. In addition, his prior career history in law and financing will open new opportunities for him in other types of tasks, also, at Innomentarium.
“My first task will be to work as a consultant for a large international hospital project supplier in connection with our new business. In addition to the project business, I have a strong background in purchasing, financing, and contract law. Indeed I believe my senior experience in these areas will open new opportunities to also do other types of work at Innomentarium in the future”, Kupiainen says.
A friend of many types of sports and particularly of traveling, Kupiainen is excited about his new job at Innomentarium. It remains to be seen how long career history Kupiainen and Ihme eventually build together — or will the 10-year cycles of Kupiainen’s career be repeated also at Innomentarium.
“My new job at Innomentarium is truly interesting, because as far as I know there is no other job like it in Finland today! What’s more, it’s great to see how the trip from Moscow in 1994 finally brought Jouni and me together under the same roof at Innomentarium after this 23-year journey. Another interesting detail is the fact that so far my job career has progressed in 10-year cycles: first I worked 10 years at Wärtsilä, then 10 years at Instrumentarium, and finally 10 years at GE. It remains to be seen if I’m able to accumulate another 10 years at Innomentarium before I’m sent to retirement”, Kupiainen concludes.
