Some career paths are straight lines. Ritva Elo’s is not one of them – and that’s exactly the point. Teamit’s Head of People and Culture has worked in product development, product management, and various other roles before finding her way to HR a little over ten years ago. One thing has stayed constant: the software industry. We sat down with Ritva to talk about winding career paths, hidden potential, and why she never remembers to wear her sports watch.
You have quite an untypical background for an HR professional. Where did it all start?
That’s true – my path has been anything but straight. I’d even call it meandering! Before HR, I worked in several different roles, including product development and product management. I’ve been in HR for a little over ten years now, so it’s actually the latest chapter of my career, not the whole story.
What all my jobs have had in common is that they’ve been in software companies. Once I tried a different industry – and came rushing back. The software world simply feels like home to me. The agile mindset, the relaxed atmosphere, the lack of hierarchy and bureaucracy, and the human values – those are all really important to me.
So how did you end up in HR?
One of my roles along the way was Scrum Master, and it turned out to be a real turning point – a truly eye-opening experience, because in that role I realized what kind of work truly ignites me: varied tasks where I get to work with people, and help people, teams, and organizations grow. I then understood that I want to work in People and Culture.
As a result, I decided to go to the Aalto University School of Business to study management and work psychology. I graduated with a Master of Science in Economics and Business Administration in 2014, and I’ve been in HR ever since – and loved every moment of it!
How does your background in product development and product management show in your HR work?
Having worked as a Scrum Master and been involved in developing agile processes, I know the agile world, both Scrum and SAFe.
All of this helps me understand, at least roughly, what the people in our organization actually do in their daily work – what their challenges are and what their everyday looks like. I understand how organizations work: what different functions are responsible for, what people in different roles focus on, and from what perspectives they look at things. I think that kind of understanding is essential for anyone working in HR.
It’s also important to me to feel that I’m part of the business, not sitting somewhere apart from it in an HR ivory tower. People and culture work only makes sense when it’s connected to the reality of the people and the business it serves.
What has your winding career path taught you?
The biggest lesson is that it really matters to be in an environment that feels natural to you. Not every environment or every job suits everyone – and that’s completely fine. The important thing is to find the place that fits you.
I truly believe that everyone can shine at work when they find the right place for them. There is an enormous amount of potential in all of us – sometimes it’s just hidden. My own career is proof of that: it took some wandering to find where I belong, and that wandering was worth it. People & Culture is my home – the place that truly feels like my own – and this is where I intend to stay.
How do you develop your own skills?
The whole field of HR is so broad that there’s still an awful lot to learn – and honestly, that’s one of the best things about this job. I would get bored if things just stood still.
I’m constantly learning something new, whether it’s through courses, certifications, or simply through the work itself. This autumn I’m starting ICF-certified coaching studies, which I’m really looking forward to. Coming from the software industry, continuous learning feels natural – it’s built into the culture here.
Speaking of change – how do you see generative AI affecting work?
I’m genuinely excited about GenAI, and it feels great to be at the forefront of this development – Teamit has been among the very first to develop GenAI solutions. I believe GenAI will change people’s roles, tasks, ways of working, and even the structures of organizations. It challenges our current ways of doing things, and that applies to HR as well.
At the same time, I believe humans will continue to have a crucial role in defining what needs to be done and validating the results. We cannot outsource our thinking entirely to AI. For me, that’s the fascinating part: figuring out how people and AI can work together in a way that brings out the best in both.
What is Teamit like as a workplace?
Teamit is very much the kind of software company culture I was describing: agile, relaxed, non-hierarchical, and human. People here are trusted and heard, and there’s very little bureaucracy getting in the way of actual work.
For me as a People and Culture person, that’s a wonderful foundation to build on. My job isn’t to create culture from scratch – it’s to nurture something that’s already alive.
What do you do when you’re not working?
I love exercise, but in a completely non-competitive, non-goal-oriented way. I move just for the joy of moving. Often I don’t even remember to put on my sports watch when I head to a class! My favourites are BodyPump, hot yoga, Pilates, and spinning.
Beyond that, I enjoy baking chocolate cakes, gardening, and travelling. At home there are two teenagers and a Sacred Birman cat named Ossi keeping life interesting.
Finally – what advice would you give to anyone wondering which direction to take in their career?
If your work no longer sparks you the way it used to, don’t get discouraged. Instead, use it as a chance to learn about yourself: think about which parts of your work you enjoy and which you don’t, and in what kind of tasks and organizations you shine – and in which you don’t.
For example, some people naturally thrive working closely with others, while for someone else that’s draining. Some love giving presentations and having discussions, others don’t. Some find it easy and natural to focus on tasks that require precision, while others find that kind of work boring. And some are at their best in an organizational culture with clear processes and responsibilities, while others prefer a more relaxed, adaptive way of working. None of these are right or wrong – they’re just different.
I also believe this will only become more relevant: winding career paths will become more common as GenAI reshapes our jobs, and more and more of us will need to change direction at some point in our careers. That’s when self-reflection becomes essential – knowing your strengths, what you enjoy most, what kind of work suits you, and what kind of environment brings out your best.
Once those things are clear, head boldly in that direction. That’s where you’ll shine.
