Salla Tuominen appointed as new Head of Corporate, Finland
Salla Tuominen was appointed as Head of Corporate practice group at DLA Piper Finland as of 1 March 2022. For Salla, working with international companies, investors and financiers is an everyday adventure. Please find out below about Salla’s journey in the world of business law.
”Always save some room for adventure”
As a law student, Salla had not planned to become an M&A and Corporate lawyer. However, while working at a Canadian investment bank, she became interested in securities market and corporate law and chose her path. Having returned to Finland, Salla worked at HEX (currently Nasdaq Helsinki). The job equipped her well for the career to be. ”It was a time of transformation. The Helsinki Stock Exchange expanded to the Baltics, combined with Swedish OMX and continued to expand thereafter. These projects formed my first experience of M&A. The working environment at HEX was truly motivating and goal-oriented, and I acquired many working life competences that proved valuable later. I remember HEX and my superior of that time with gratitude”, Salla says.
From the very beginning of her career, Salla’s working environment has been international. During her time at the stock exchange, she split time between Helsinki and Stockholm, traveling regularly in the Nordics, Baltics, and UK. In addition to DLA Piper, Salla has also worked at other international law firms. ”I enjoy the genuinely international setting that DLA Piper offers. Independent of location, our teams work together towards clients’ business objectives”, Salla states.
Salla now has a dream job filled with possibilities to learn and widen her worldview. In addition to transactions, Salla has always had passion for general corporate law and corporate governance. ”The longer I work as an attorney at law, the more clearly I perceive multiple dimensions in phenomena I encounter. Ever more often I come across more than one solution to professional challenges, which adds twist to legal reasoning. I find it extremely interesting to follow closely decision making and reporting in client companies. My role is to provide counselling in complicated projects that involve decision-making in tight schedules”, Salla says.
For Salla, business is never just business. ”I find it extremely exciting that ethics gain relevance in business. Responsibility equals everyday actions. Challenges relating to environment and climate are already prominent in practically all branches. However, responsible business is so much more than its environment related aspects. In the future, accountability requirements, evolving legislation and self-regulation will bring an enormous amount of new dimensions to corporate governance and will also require lawyers to adopt new ideas. Our team is happy to be involved as legal advisers in the day-to-day responsibility work of our clients in all areas of ESG. There are many ways we, at a business law firm, can make a positive impact on the surrounding society. Our most valuable contribution to sustainability is the advice and support we provide to our clients. Our lawyers around the world are also working pro bono to promote the Rule of Law by strengthening civil society and building capacity, and to support Access to Justice”.
Salla is proud of the career possibilities and learning experiences DLA Piper can offer. What would be her career tip for young professionals in the legal business? “Had I not been ready to follow my own path and change plans at certain stages, I would be telling you a different story. Always save some room for adventure!”
