CEO Today - Middle East Awards 2023

Mikael Salmela Managing Director of Codesta Can you tell us about your background and how you became the Managing Director of Codesta? After the mandatory military service in Finland, I got an internship opportunity to learn programming from the founder of a company that focused on manufacturing execution systems. The founder had a background in computer science, Nokia, and was a lecturer at the University of Tampere, which gave me a solid grounding in computer science. I studied for a vocational qualification in software development during this time. From there, I worked for small software development agencies, some technology startups, and a few Fortune 500s, which gave me a wide view of how the IT industry operates vertically and horizontally. I founded Codesta for myself so that I could work on interesting projects with interesting people, and it turned out other people had similar interests and we grew from there organically. How would you describe Codesta’s mission and values? At Codesta, our mission is to empower businesses to reach their full potential by providing exceptional IT staff augmentation services. We strive to create long-lasting partnerships by delivering top-tier talent, tailored solutions, and seamless integration with our clients’ teams, enabling them to achieve their goals and drive innovation in a rapidly-evolving digital landscape. Our vision is to become the go-to IT staff augmentation partner for well-funded startups around the globe, renowned for our ability to accelerate growth and innovation. We aim to create lasting relationships with our clients by offering tailored solutions, industry-leading expertise, and a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by ambitious startups. By fostering a collaborative environment and focusing on the success of our clients, we seek to contribute to the development of the next generation of groundbreaking products and services in the technology sector. How did you identify that there was such a high demand for companies to use quality consultants? Through extensive research and analysis of market trends, we identified a high demand for quality consultants by observing several key indicators. First, we noticed a growing trend towards the gig economy, with more professionals opting for freelance and contract work due to its flexibility, work-life balance, and potential for higher earnings. Second, the rapid CEO Today Middle East Awards 2023 - UAE - - 39 -

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