Career Stories

Utshav Bhattarai – Business Development Manager

Hi, my name is Utshav Bhattarai but you can call me Ubi. My journey with SFW started when I had the opportunity to participate and mentor other students at the DASH Hackathon 2023, where I collaborated with SFW, the participating company. This experience sparked my interest in an open position of the Business Development Manager for the Lifecycle Solutions department at SFW.

In my current role, my main responsibility is to develop lifecycle solutions, focusing mainly on Operations and Maintenance Services for SFW's new technologies, primarily focusing on Energy Storage and Waste-to-Energy power plants.

When I joined the company, I really appreciated SFW’s approach to onboarding young professionals and how they encourage creative thinking. It is an environment where I feel comfortable expressing my opinions and ideas, and I can see a bright future for myself in the company.

Overall, I would describe SFW as a supportive and well-connected environment. I encourage young professionals or graduates to join SFW as it is a mid-sized company with a future-oriented approach and room for professional growth, where also younger professionals’ ideas are welcomed and supported.

Ashok Krishnan – Market Development Manager

I am Ashok Krishnan, and I work as a Market Development Manager under the Energy Storage business line. I’ve been with the company for about two years now.

My academic background is in electrical engineering, with a bachelor’s degree and a Ph.D. focused on power systems and their scheduling. I pursued my studies in India and Singapore, and after that moved and worked in Japan. It was during my time in Tokyo when I came across a job advertisement from SFW on LinkedIn. After discussing the opportunity with the team, I had a good gut feeling about it. So, I decided to move to Finland because I believe that to grow, you need to step outside your comfort zone. This is a crucial aspect of being a professional.

I initially joined the company as a power systems analyst, where my primary role was to simulate different power systems using commercial software tools. Now, in my current role, I do market research and show customers how they can gain value by investing in SFW’s energy storage solutions. Engaging with customers around the globe is propably the most enjoyable part of my job at the moment.

Visa Mäkinen – Performance Engineer

I am Visa Mäkinen, and I work as a Performance Engineer. I’ve been with SFW for five years, starting as a summer trainee and then working on my master’s thesis, during which I developed a new digital service product for SFW. Over time, my role has evolved; I started working for the Digital Services teams, and only recently joined our Energy Storage team.

My tasks in the Digital Services team were a mix of product development and customer management. I assisted with sales and helped new employees integrate into the team. Our Digital Services team aims to optimize plant operations for our customers, preventing unnecessary shutdowns and ensuring operations run at their optimum point throughout the energy generation process.

In SFW I appreciate the company’s diversity and the opportunity to solve complex challenges in cooperation with my colleagues.

Anahita Farsaei – Senior Business Analyst

Hi, my name is Anahita Farsaei, but people call me Ana. In terms of studies, I have a quite diverse background starting with a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Mathematics, followed by a Master's in Industrial Engineering in Iran, and later earning a PhD in Energy Technology at Aalto University, Finland. This is related to passion, which has always been to work towards carbon neutrality. When I got to know about SFW and saw their mission, I thought "okay, this company is actually taking action."

As a Business Analyst, I conduct feasibility studies that provide perspectives and key insights, supporting the decision-making of our internal stakeholders and customers. Each day at work is unique and exciting. There are so many things that I really like about this job, and I can say that I really love it. Continuous learning is a crucial part of my work as SFW operates in the energy sector where everything is changing rapidly.

I'm proud to say that SFW provides a very positive, supportive, and friendly working environment. Here, I can be myself and open, which is a result of the company's culture. Having positive and supportive colleagues really helps to motivate for every upcoming task or project. I would hihgly recommend you to join us if you wish to shape a sustainable future. We have a warm, friendly, and a positive environment, and we are making the energy transition possible. What could be better than that?

Chooporn Thaimuangphol – Project Control Manager

Hi, my name is Chooporn. I grew up in Thailand where I pursued my engineering education in Bangkok. Upon graduation, I initially considered a career in the automotive industry. However, after learning about the scope of work, I realized it might not be something I would enjoy. This led me to a recruiting platform where I found about Sumitomo SHI FW. The company’s description made me keen to learn more about its compelling technologies and I decided to apply. Soon, I started work as a Proposal Engineer at SFW!

During my career at SFW, I have taken on various roles, from coordinating service proposals to managing high-value projects. At one point I wanted to expand my expertise beyond engineering and decided to pursue a master’s degree in business anaytics in the United States. After returning, I transitioned to the position of Project Control Manager. This role combined my technical understanding of our products from previous roles with the financial insights gained during my studies, allowing me to see the business picture more clearly.

After two years as a Project Control Manager, I joined our company’s global innovation program, which I truly enjoyed. Embracing challenges, cultural diversity, and continuous learning have been the cornerstones of my professional journey, propelling me towards further growth and development.