Nur Ketene joins Columbia Road

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

I studied Business Information Technology at the Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences. I got better at what I do by working in various startups over the last 10 years and tinkering with different approaches to try to get each business to take off. I found out that the best way to learn is in many cases to be thrown into the deep end and wear multiple hats. Although I enjoyed programming, what I truly loved doing was using my skills to solve problems. I think that was the best motivator for me to get better at what I do.

Where have you earned your spurs?

For my first job, I joined a consultancy where I learned the purpose of any coding: solving business problems and asking questions such as “why, what, and how”. I took those learnings and joined a startup company in 2013 to work on fitness discovery problems. I built a team of developers and designers and started working on a mobile solution that met their specific needs. We revamped the entire infrastructure, built a brand-new native mobile app in 6 months and started selling directly to consumers.

Next, I joined another consultancy tackling branding and communication, and I learned a new word: “Leadership”. I learned how to take care of people and how to find different ways to accommodate people’s skills and align them with business goals.

After that, I joined another startup as a Technical Lead/CTO. I took all my learnings and battle scars and used all of them as a leader, as a developer, and as an executive to deliver on the promises that we as a company gave to our partners and users. Through this experience, I have learned that I love developing businesses right at their inception. I love talking to people with different agendas and combining different perspectives in order to reach a common goal.

Why Columbia Road?

After many years working with different startups and product companies, I have realised that I love working with clients and solving their business challenges. Working together with different people and understanding their business and learning their perspectives is extremely valuable to me to be able to grow and add value. Columbia Road sets itself apart from other consultancies precisely because it looks at the clients' business instead of its technical stack or a feature to build. I wanted to be part of that and learn as much as possible from the brilliant people at Columbia Road.

Eero, what will make our clients love Nur?

"Nur is very easy going and a fantastic colleague to work with. His skills are very wide within the developing field, and he has a deep understanding of how systems work. Looking at the bigger picture and the reasons around why something needs to be developed is a special skill that Nur possesses. The vast employment history which Nur has means he has lots of experiences to draw from," says Eero Martela, General Manager at Columbia Road.

What makes your heart beat a little faster?

Apart from working with different people and learning new things at work, I love playing different games, especially with my kids. Lego is a particular favourite of ours. Of course, they immediately destroy it afterwards and build their own little creations which is amazing to witness!

How would you fancy working alongside Nur at Columbia Road? We're constantly looking for new skilful and nice people to join our crew! Take a peek at our open positions 👇