Meri Anckar

Responsible Aesthetician

Meri has been a partner at Smartbutler since 2013, and those years have included many different companies and industries. Meri emphasizes responsibility, humility, an eagerness to learn new fields, and adaptability.

”Our clients represent many different industries and ways of working. What has proven to work for five clients does not automatically mean it will work for a sixth. That is why adaptability and the ability to listen and put yourself in the client’s shoes are needed. This doesn’t mean reinventing the wheel every time,” Meri says. ”The most significant part of the added value that I, and Smartbutlers, bring is that we make our expertise and experience available to the client.”

Meri’s special expertise includes productization, sales development, import operations, marketing planning, and sustainability. ”Sustainability is topical in companies, from product design to marketing communication. It has been interesting to observe how sustainability has, at its best, evolved from environmental awareness into a comprehensive way of operating. Part of a long-term solution is to steer the conversation in companies toward how environmentally conscious solutions and practices should be designed so that they also improve profitability. Instead of focusing only on how considering the environment would cost us the least. If companies could achieve financial benefits in addition to environmental ones, the motivation to make changes would be manifold,” Meri believes.

Karelian all-rounder

Before Smartbutlers, Meri worked as a category manager and project manager. She has worked with both import and resale as well as aftermarket. She has international experience, including from Asia and Eastern European countries. ”B2B and internationality have been connecting threads in my work experience up to this day. I have worked both with start-up companies and with actors that have established themselves in an international environment. Industrial companies are close to my heart. My job is to help develop our clients’ ways of working and competence so that they have the necessary tools to carry out development steps related to sales and marketing. I am often involved in implementation work. That is my strength and the spice of my work; I get to both plan and execute. Although there is always something new to learn, over the years I have found effective tools and methods for myself that create peace of mind and confidence in the work.”

Meri is approachable, and she radiates warmth and caring. Perhaps that is partly due to her roots. ”I come from the countryside, Outokumpu in North Karelia. I am proud of my roots and do my best to hold on to Karelian identity, hospitality, and cheerfulness.” Meri studied at the University of Joensuu and holds a Master of Science in Economics and Business Administration. ”The greatest benefit I got from my studies is research skills and the ability to see the forest for the trees. Not gut feelings and others’ opinions, but get the facts straight. Real numbers on the table and an objective view of the current situation are the best starting point for me.”

Family and friends most important

Meri relaxes in her free time in the company of her family and friends. Often that equation also includes good food and drink. ”My free time is filled with fairly traditional activities. In the summers time is spent at the summer cottage or at the children’s football matches. As a counterbalance to work I like to exercise and do something that doesn’t require competitor analysis or concepting, such as making Karelian stew.”