Sari Kangas-Ikkala – Nurturing sustainable change in project management

Sari Kangas-Ikkala emerges as a distinguished figure in project management, facilitation, and coordination, particularly in pioneering projects that demand a harmonious integration of diverse expertise, perspectives, and requirements.

Operating through her company, Saramis Oy, Sari is open to short- and long-term assignments, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience to each project she undertakes.

“Solving challenges means we keep changing and transforming as individuals, groups, and societies. Just like nature around us, transformation is the natural flow of life, which means we all are in a “flow” of life. However, the tricky part where we need creativity, logic, big picture, and wisdom is how we change and what we change so that it is good for us, other people, and the planet. Build bridges between various fields of expertise – there lies your magic key to real changes with time.”

Sari’s passion and experience define Sari’s journey, which spans various industries, services, and healthcare organizations. Her expertise ensures the successful implementation of challenging strategic and operational development projects.

One of her notable areas of proficiency is managing complex and unique feasibility studies and planning-design phases for specialty construction projects, like new hospital ventures and the Bio-Park strategic project aimed at promoting biodiversity.

“Listen carefully, be open, and build a simple, inspiring common vision. People in your organization and network must buy in early on. Prioritize targets, changes, and problems carefully and understand them while solving them in steps. You create new know-how and learning. This learning and results is the core engine for the next challenge or problem.”

Sari’s core competence shines in project management, particularly in innovative pioneering and change projects, where integrating multiple types of expertise and views is crucial. “This requires carefully listening to various parties, identifying their core aspects, and being able to summarize and visualize collected views and facts in a simple but effective way,” Sari explains.

Her approach lays the foundation for identifying options and clear criteria, enabling organizations to make transparent decisions for their next steps.

Sari’s ability to work well in diverse cultural environments, focusing on the big picture and the targeted results, is a testament to her adaptability and strategic vision. A prime example of her expertise was her leadership in the strategic feasibility study of Helsinki Zoo’s new tropical house project.

“I am motivated by curiosity, helping others, learning together and personally. I love small and big ideas and linking them with the big picture, nurturing inspiration and energy to reach targeted and implementable results, often with piloting and experimenting. I am inspired by the idea that humans start to realign themselves with the planet, the versatility of various cultures, and the amazing nature around us.”

Here, Sari played a pivotal role in selecting domestic and international experts, co-creating the future concept, initial design schemes, and sustainable solutions, and managing the project through to board approval. This project also benefited from effective collaboration with other European tropical and greenhouses.

Sari’s industrial experience is vast and varied. Sari has implemented operational excellence programs for global supply chains in procurement and manufacturing based on lean practices. Her work ensures strong ownership across various organizational levels.

In healthcare, she has notably served as a local project manager for a leading Nordic heart hospital and its global technology partner, successfully implementing their pilot operational excellence program.

What truly inspires Sari is the integration of environmental and social sustainability into our ways of living, interacting, and operating. She recognizes this as a challenge that transcends individuals, organizations, and countries, requiring a collective and concerted effort. Sari Kangas-Ikkala is a visionary, constantly learning and evolving, committed to integrating sustainability into the fabric of our society.

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