Women's History Month Spotlight: Irmeli Hirvensalo

We're continuing this year's celebration of Women's History Month with more features that give insight into how thought leaders from across our global offices tell, build, run, and find innovation in the digital space. 

This week, we are spotlighting Business Director of Finland & Denmark, Irmeli Hirvensalo! Here are her thoughts on gender equality, building & running a strong digital presence, the importance of corporate values, and more: 

Could you give a brief overview of your time at IDX?

I joined IDX four years ago as an Account Director. Since the Helsinki office is a compact team, I have had the opportunity to have my hands elbow-deep in all aspects of client work; consultative sales, project leadership, account development, DCM-type client services, you name it. When my friend and boss Sirje moved on from IDX last year, I took the helm and am now leading the Helsinki team.

What does Women's History Month Mean to you? 

There are so many strong women that deserve to be recognized and remembered. Things have progressed rapidly and visibly over the last few years - for instance it was just in the news here in Finland that we are fast approaching a genuine 50-50 gender equality in leadership positions, which is fantastic. But obviously there’s still much to do on the equality front globally.

Tell it - Are there women-led companies or individuals who have been telling narratives that inspire you/think deserve more amplification?

The first individual who comes to mind is Hyasintha Ntuyeko, the CEO & Founder of Glory Sanitary Napkins. My path crossed with hers very briefly at a Slush event a couple of years back in Helsinki. Hyasintha told me about the women's sanitary napkins business that she was running in Tanzania. She was meeting investors at Slush and explained to me what a huge difference it makes to women in many African countries when they have access to such a simple everyday thing (we think) as menstrual hygiene.

I was thinking to myself: Now this is an area where there’s a real chance to do some IMPACT investing. Very thought-provoking. I don’t know if Hyasintha remembers our little encounter but I’m happy to see that her work has also been recognized: she has received numerous awards including 'Africa Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Trail Blazer, Queen of Power, Women Advancing Africa, and East Africa Women Venture.'

Build & Run it - What are the most crucial aspects of building and running a digital presence?

Build: Quality of coding, quite frankly. Nail it the first time, and everything runs smoothly thereafter. Get ‘creative’ in the Build phase, and the ‘creative solutions’ will cause you headaches forever. 

Run: In addition to robust and reliable technical platform and solid Build work, great customer service, working together with the client as a genuine partner.

What advice would you give to other women trying to build their careers in the digital marketing space?

Find role models and mentors to encourage you. Also remember that certain vocabulary may be intimidating and serve as a ‘barrier of entry’ and may lead you to think that this ‘must be very difficult.' In reality, digital marketing is no rocket science, it’s just another discipline that can be learned – by studying and doing.

Find it - How should digital marketers think about measuring success differently in 2022?

Marketing – whether digital or not – is a long game. Sure, it’s important to keep measuring the traditional website & channel analytics. But one should also develop and use metrics for measuring the impact of thought leadership efforts and brand value. Right now with the war in Ukraine and the resulting corporate responses and values suddenly resonate among the brand audiences more than perhaps ever.

Stay tuned for more

Thank you, Irmeli, for your thoughtful insights! For more, here is Viraj Mehta's piece from earlier this month and stay tuned for more features to come. And, if this feature or IDX's commitment to building a more diverse, inclusive, accessible, and equitable workforce has inspired you to enter the technology industry, take a look at our careers page to see if you are a good fit for any of our current openings!