New Roadie Arrivals 3/23

Joining us on the road: Katja, Michael and Topias!

Katja skachKova

Senior Consultant, Martech

Hi Katja, How did you get good at what you do?

I have bachelor's and master's degrees in International Economy and Business and more than 10 years of experience in ecommerce start-ups’ and scale-ups’ growth across borders and channels.

I study on a regular basis through LinkedIn learning, webinars, shorter university courses, just chatting with colleagues, participating in hackathons and competitions, or teaching others.

Learning by doing is something I value a lot. One way or another, I’ve been happy to help, learn and work with Babyshop, Fishbrain, Hyper Island, Indiska, Etsy, Fairtrade, Klarna.

Why Columbia Road?

Columbia Road has a focus on sustainable growth and a deep knowledge of digital sales and data. CR’s values resonate with my values. Plus, I love CR’s visual design; I love peonies.

What makes your heart beat a little faster?

I love psychology, history, travelling, nature, decorating my cosy home, and learning about new technologies and techniques that help solve business problems more efficiently. I enjoy meeting new people and creating space for ideas and experiences exchange.

Topias Talvo

Senior Consultant, Martech

Hi Topias, How did you get good at what you do?

Throughout my career, I’ve tried to pursue positions where I’m able to put my interests in technology and business savviness into practice. This has led me to study and work in both fields, so I like to consider myself as a bridge between both worlds.

I was fortunate enough to land a job at Salesforce in their Dublin office, which had a profound impact on how I ended up in the world of consulting. I was then working in the sales development unit but soon realised that my interests were driving more towards the consulting and implementation side of the business. Long story short, after a few consulting powerhouse employments, I’m here and humbly consider that I’m good at what I do, which is advising our clients in sales and service process development and CRM-related areas.

Why Columbia Road?

I see Columbia Road as the “cool kid on the block” consultancy where innovation and creativity thrive when the organisational structure is as flat as they come.

I also like to think that our focus is primarily on solving business challenges instead of directly tech-related challenges. Technology can be the enabler or tool to solve those challenges, but in the end, it comes down to the actual business value that our clients and we are after.

What makes your heart beat a little faster?

Definitely a (poor) round of golf or an intensive game at the padel court!

I also have a habit of debating with my brother on a regular basis about trending topics like the economy, politics, sports etc., and the debates usually tend to raise my heartbeat and blood pressure when 99% of the time, we disagree with each other.

Michael Uvnäs

Managing Consultant, Development

Hi Michael, How did you get good at what you do?

I'm a very curious person. I’m also a doer with many ideas. This puts me in situations where I constantly have to learn new things. Trial and error is a method I have used a lot, but learning from others is where I got most of my knowledge. I have been fortunate enough to work with really creative, skilled and kind colleagues over the years. I would say they are the reason I’m good at what I do.

Why Columbia Road?

I don’t have a career plan. Most of my career has just happened. Starting companies, taking on new assignments. I had not heard about Columbia Road when Kseniia reached out on Linkedin, but curious as I am, we had a first chat. I think that the difference between Columbia Road and other companies is in the details. Columbia Road feels like a solid choice, thanks to thought-through details and a mix of super talented people.  

What makes your heart beat a little faster?

I’m all about creating something. I’m constantly working on different projects. Last autumn, I finally had time to launch a project I had been thinking of for 10 years. A blog containing all the ideas and projects I would never have time to finish on my own. Sadly no one has shown any interest in helping out, so I have gone back to developing the ideas myself.

I'm currently in the process of creating a mobile game. The unscrupulous expansion of the Yak Burger franchise. (working title). A NES Zelda-style game. The year is 1305, and you have just got a job as a business developer at Yak Burger. Explore the Eurasian continent and build the infrastructure needed to provide yaks and other ingredients for the Yak Burger restaurants as they open up along the Silk Road.

I'm also trying to get my kids interested in programming and game development. They're at level 1, playing games, the same as I was at their age.