Role Model Blog: Katja Saarela, Eficode
Mon, 24 Nov 2025 10:15:48 +0000
I struggled to combine work and family. It took me years, mistakes, and a lot of self-reflection to understand what really matters. When I had more balance, I became happier, more creative, and ultimately more effective. I also learned that personal happiness matters.
About me
I am the Head of DevOps and AI at Eficode. I have vast experience in IT service organizations. A significant part of my focus is on AI upskilling. We run several AI-related initiatives, including weekly demos and knowledge-sharing sessions. In addition, I am part of the Eficode Finland Steering Group, which meets weekly, and we also hold regular gatherings for all Eficode leaders.
My Journey from Chemistry to IT and Beyond
When I think back to my days at Ressu High School, I remember being equally fascinated by chemistry and psychology, but eventually I chose chemistry. That decision led me to pursue my first master’s degree in chemical engineering. The job market for chemists wasn’t exactly booming in 1999, while the IT industry was exploding with opportunities.
My first job was at Hewlett-Packard, where I worked as a sales representative. I was responsible for selling Unix servers to a major telecom company in Finland. It introduced me to the world of technology, but after two years, I realized that sales alone weren’t enough for me. I wanted to go deeper.
Katja Saarela, Head of DevOps and AI, Eficode
From Academia to Consulting
That curiosity led me back to university. I began working toward my PhD, exploring big data and bioinformatics long before those terms became buzzwords. I loved the research, the depth, and the challenge, but I also discovered that academia moves quite slowly.
That’s when I realized that consulting might be my perfect fit. In consulting, every project brings a new question, a new client, a new opportunity to learn. It’s fast, dynamic, and exactly what my curious mind craves.
A Lifelong Learner
In technology, and in life, you’re never “done learning.” I want to learn new things all the time, and for me it’s really interesting to start learning a new area or a new topic. It is so much so that along the way I earned additional degrees, such as a Master of Computer Science and a Master of Economics, and even explored theology and philosophy. In this field, you need to have a joy of lifelong learning. It is important to never feel that, okay, now I know everything.
Managing Stress: Lessons from a Career in IT and Parenthood
In the early years of my career, work was at the centre of my life. I thought it was the most important thing in the world. But I was wrong. I struggled to combine work and family. It took me years, mistakes, and a lot of self-reflection to understand what really matters.
I have five kids, and in those early years, my values weren’t right. I was giving my best to my job, but not to the people who needed me most: my family. Over time, I realized something that completely changed my perspective: in my family, I can’t be replaced. But at work, no one is truly indispensable.
I began to set my priorities clearly: family first, then work. Ironically, when I started working less, I finally began moving forward in my career. That was one of the most surprising lessons of my life. When I had more balance, I became happier, more creative, and ultimately more effective. I also learned that personal happiness matters. If I have time for my hobbies and my studies, I’m happier. And when I’m happy, I’m a better leader and colleague.
Now, with older kids and more experience, I don’t see the need for such strict boundaries. I might do small work tasks in the evening, but it doesn’t feel like a burden anymore. After 25 years in the IT field, I trust myself. I know what I’m doing, and I no longer worry as much.
Working At Eficode
My days are filled with planned meetings, but also spontaneous discussions with colleagues. I spend a lot of time at our Helsinki office because meeting people face-to-face and exchanging ideas energizes and inspires me.
No two days look the same in my role. I’m responsible for the delivery and performance of our consultants. I have four teams in my unit. I regularly meet with my Team Leads, collaborate with our Sales team to review ongoing and upcoming cases, and lately, I’ve also been conducting many job interviews as we are recruiting new consultants for the unit.
Learning Skills from Sports
Scouting has been my most important hobby for as long as I can remember. I’ve held different positions over the years. I started as a scout leader at the age of 15. Looking back, that was my first real leadership experience. I didn’t realize it at the time, but those years of leading groups, organizing activities, and motivating people taught me lessons that became the foundation of my professional life.
Years later, when I transitioned from an expert role to a leadership position in my career, I struggled at first. It wasn’t easy to move from doing the work myself to guiding others to do it. Then I remembered my early days in scouting — and it clicked. I had been leading people since I was a teenager. That gave me confidence. Leadership wasn’t new to me after all.
Scouting also taught me one of the most practical skills of all: time management. As a student, I had school, hobbies, and responsibilities in the scouts. I had to learn how to divide my time carefully, and that skill has stayed with me to this day. Now, in my work life, I still structure my time the same way: focus on my tasks but always make space for my hobbies and family.
But the most important lesson I learned from scouting was listening to myself and my feelings. It’s easy to plan your week, to fill your calendar with activities and goals. But sometimes, it just doesn’t feel right. Scouting taught me to pay attention to recognize when I need to adjust my schedule or slow down. It’s not just about efficiency; it’s about balance and well-being.
Managing and Leading
Over the years, I have come to realize the difference between managing and leading — two roles that often overlap but are not the same. Managing is about things: tasks, deadlines, and structures. Things don’t have feelings; they can be organized logically into a schedule. But leading is about people, and people are complex. They have families, challenges, and emotions.
Real leadership means being able to handle both managing tasks and people, but it mostly means understanding that people are not robots. It’s about connecting with them, listening to their worries, hearing their ideas, and being flexible when life happens. Sometimes plans need to change, and that’s okay. What matters is building trust and respect so that people feel valued and supported.
AI agents and trust
Lately, I’ve been deeply interested in the relationship between AI agents and trust. I often listen to Eficode’s tech talks, especially those by our CTO, Marko, who shares fascinating insights into the world of AI agent orchestration. At Eficode, for example, we’ve developed a demo in which six different AI agents collaborate to build software: one writes specifications, another codes, and others handle testing. What makes this so intriguing is not just the technology itself, but the human element behind it: how do these agents trust one another, and how can we trust the results they produce? This question of trust is at the heart of today’s AI revolution.
The post Role Model Blog: Katja Saarela, Eficode first appeared on Women in Tech Finland.
Recommended Comments