Metsä Academy with programme director Jan Jacobs.
The challenge: creating alignment and strengthening transformation capability
As part of its strategy work, Metsä Group identified a clear development need: the organisation's ability to operate as one and continuously renew itself needed to be strengthened through capability building. Across business areas, roles, responsibilities and ways of working varied, creating fragmentation and limiting shared understanding.
At the same time, Metsä Group operates in an increasingly international environment where alignment across functions, geographies and cultures is critical. Development could not be addressed through standalone training initiatives. What was needed was a business-embedded approach to support transformation, clarify strategic choices and build a shared direction across the organisation.
The solution: Metsä Academies – a strategic, international development platform
The solution was Metsä Academies: a long-term development platform consisting of five complementary, international academies, designed and delivered in close partnership with Hanken & SSE Executive Education. Rather than importing a ready-made model, the academies were co-created from the ground up, based on Metsä Group's strategic priorities and business realities.
The collaboration began with the Finance Academy and expanded step by step to cover Metsä Group's key functions, including finance, procurement, sales, sustainability and leadership. Each academy focused on a critical business theme while sharing a common design logic and governance model.
The academies were delivered through multi-module learning journeys, with learning tightly embedded in everyday work. Participants from different business areas and countries worked together on real business challenges, translating insights directly into action within their own roles, teams and across organisational and geographical boundaries.
From strategy to execution: a long‑term development partnership
For Metsä Group, choosing the right partner was essential. The collaboration called for flexibility, the ability to navigate complex business contexts, and a strong combination of academic insight and practical relevance.
Over time, the partnership evolved into one of the most extensive executive development collaborations in Metsä Group’s history, with the academies reaching hundreds of participants over the four years during which they were delivered.Content was continuously updated as the operating environment evolved, and a shared language and mindset developed across the academies.
"After several years of collaboration, the Hanken & SSE team had developed a deep understanding of Metsä as a company – our challenges, strengths and responsibilities. This enabled them to bring even more concrete value and synergy into the academies."
Antti Kiljunen, Senior Vice President, Group Finance, Metsä Group
Rather than remaining isolated programmes, the academies became an integral part of how Metsä Group executes its strategy, aligns ways of working and develops capabilities across business areas.
Susanna Tainio & Antti KiljunenDelivering impact beyond learning
Metsä Academies have served as a concrete tool for transformation and change leadership. Through the academies, Metsä Group has been able to articulate and justify strategic choices, strengthen cross-functional collaboration and build shared understanding across the organisation.
The focus has not been on participant experience alone, but on how learning translates into business impact.
“Participant feedback is important, but it is not enough. We wanted to link the academies to business metrics and to how work is actually done in practice,”
Susanna Tainio, Vice President, Change Management, Metsä Group
One tangible example of impact was seen at the intersection of finance and sustainability, as regulatory requirements intensified.
"When sustainability reporting requirements increased, Hanken & SSE worked closely with us to build our readiness. The entire finance function gained a shared understanding of the requirements and how to report consistently – and Metsä was among the first companies to report in line with CSRD."
Antti Kiljunen
A foundation for continuous renewal
The long-term academy partnership with Hanken & SSE has created a strong foundation for continuous capability development and organisational renewal at Metsä Group. A shared model, clear ownership and ongoing dialogue ensure that Metsä Academies continue to evolve in line with strategic priorities – supporting the organisation's ability to adapt, align and perform in a changing global environment.
"Thanks to the academies, people are better prepared to navigate fast-changing, ambiguous situations. That was one of our key objectives from the very beginning."
Susanna Tainio