TEXT & PHOTO: HELENA REBANE
P
robably the quickest path to become a CEO is to create your own company. My story doesn’t follow that path, though. I often get inspired by other people’s bold ideas and then develop a vision and plan to reach that. CEO is just a great position to do that!
I joined JCI in 2016. As I was pondering if my career has any real direction, I decided to have a mentor through my chapter Central Park Helsinki. That was the best decision! After some time of figuring things out I developed a goal for myself – l wanted to become a CEO of an international technology company. It felt so bold to have a goal like this!
The beginning of my life was not very promising for that path. I was born in Estonia (back then still part of Soviet Union) to a family of a teacher and a basketball coach. So, I didn’t know much about the business world when I was a child. I ended up studying Tourism and Hotel Management in university, which most people don’t consider the best education to support becoming a CEO.
I figured that becoming a COO could be a good step towards CEO. I even added COO as job alert to the most common job search platforms. Without telling anyone about my plans publicly, after some time I was approached by old business friends who invited me to join their company AddSearch – as a COO!
However, during my studies I joined AIESEC, which is an international youth organization. Through AIESEC I was exposed to a huge international network, and also went to work in Nigeria. The experience was priceless, and it gave me the courage to explore more options in my life.
After a year, the CEO decided to leave the position and I was offered to take the place. I was not expecting it to happen, but I knew immediately I’d take it. I guess it’s true that success occurs when opportunity meets preparation.
So instead of going to work in tourism, my first real job was a community manager position in a Finnish technology start-up. They were looking for someone with good social media skills, which was a lot to ask in 2009. Luckily to me, I had become a social media wizard thanks to opportunities through AIESEC. Also, my video application made with my very first smart phone was a hit!
LEH T I ROHK EI LLE NUOR IL LE JOH TAJI LLE, JOT KA HA LUAVAT LU ODA VASTU ULLISTA M U U TOSTA YRITYKS IIN JA YH TE IS KUNTAAN.
BECOMING A CEO -HELENA REBANE
As I worked with the company’s international brand and learning a lot, it was a dream come true! That’s also when I fell in love with technology and how you can use it to help people from all over the world. I was hooked! During the following years I was excited to jump into every possible opportunity in the technology field, even when I was not sure if I had the needed skill set or experience.
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