When Heli Toppinen joined Crimppi as a temporary payroll substitute in 2007, she thought she might stay for a year. Nearly two decades later, she is the General Manager of a company that has grown into a multinational organisation with a strong sustainability focus.
A curious mindset changed the plan entirely
As a business administration graduate, Heli had imagined a career in banking. But a maternity leave substitution at Crimppi in 2007 changed the plan.
“I’ve always been encouraged to be honest and hardworking – to do things as well as I can,” Heli says. “On top of that I’m a curious person who likes to stay busy; I always want to try new things. But instead of having to look for new challenges outside Crimppi, I realised early that new opportunities kept opening up here.”
Even when new responsibilities sometimes felt intimidating, Heli always chose to say yes. So as Crimppi grew, so did her role. What started with payroll gradually expanded into HR responsibilities, including recruitment.
A culture that values doing over planning
Heli still remembers one particular period during the company’s rapid growth.
“The founder and then owner of the company used to stand in my doorway in the mornings and say: ‘Hire ten more.’ And the next morning he’d come back and say the same thing again,” she laughs.
This kind of rapid scaling has been repeated across Crimppi’s factories, reflecting the company’s mindset.
“There has always been this courage to move forward and do things our own way. We don’t spend years planning – we prefer action. And looking at where it has taken us, it has clearly been the right path.”
Seeing sustainability in practice
10 years into her Crimppi journey, Heli took study leave to complete a Master’s degree in business administration. During that time she also joined an ethical leadership programme that took her to Namibia for a few weeks.
“We worked on a construction site building a daycare centre for the local community. Each day one of us was responsible for leading the group, and in the evenings we gave each other feedback.”
For Heli, the experience left a lasting impression.
“It was intense, but also incredibly valuable. Even if it didn’t feel like huge insights at the time, I’ve noticed afterwards how much it shaped the way I think about responsibility, openness and trust.”
For Heli, sustainability at Crimppi has always meant more than environmental issues.
“It’s also about how we treat people. Making sure employees enjoy their work and have the same rights wherever they work in the world is just as important.”
Leading firmly, but with kindness
Since 2020, Heli has worked as General Manager. She oversees the factory in Finland and ensures the same way of working across Crimppi’s international operations.
She describes her leadership style, and that of Crimppi more broadly, as firm but gentle.
“I want to get things done and keep moving forward,” she says. “And I want our people to know clearly what we are aiming for. But most importantly, I want everyone to feel that their work matters and that they can, and should, make their voice heard. The journey we are on is only possible if everyone is part of it.”
Supporting work-life balance is equally important to her. “Everyone has a life outside work. If someone needs a day off, I trust they have a good reason.”
In her own free time, Heli enjoys the family’s summer cottage, with forest walks, berry picking, and above all, the calming ritual of a wood-heated sauna combined with a swim or two.
With many exciting plans ahead for Crimppi, the quiet rhythm of the summer cottage is just the balance she needs.
