Despite his busy schedule, Tuukka Seppä walks into the meeting at precisely 11:00, the time agreed upon. From leading BCG’s Nordic operations to the forefront of BCG’s global Transformation practice, Seppä’s path from the lecture halls of Aalto University to the high ranks of a global management consultancy is a rare one among Finnish graduates.

The journey started at a young age, when the interest in finance and business sparked. At a young age, Seppä was interested in investing in stocks, buying all kinds of assets with the little funds he accumulated from working. “At 14, I walked into Olari’s post office and stated, ‘I want to buy bonds issued by the city of Tampere, because they have a 13% interest rate and seem like a risk-free investment.’” The post office employees were stupefied, unsure what to make of the situation.

The events during Seppä’s studies further amplified the interest in finance. Around the turn of the millennium, there was an IPO boom. People were on the streets – in a Finnish fashion – standing in a queue, waiting to buy stocks being listed. “At that time, there was a significant discount on IPO stocks. There was a notable IPO called Sonera, where Tele’s operations in Finland were publicly listed. Later, during the final stage of our studies, we studied this phenomenon: is there a difference in the discount of internet IPOs and normal ones?”

In addition to finance, Seppä was drawn to technical fields, completing a second degree at the Helsinki University of Technology. After starting his career at BCG, this competency of both finance and technology is one factor that allowed Seppä to take part in the BCG Ambassador Program in 2003, one of only two candidates selected from the Nordics. “If I want to work within this field in the future, I probably should go wherever I get the most experience and credibility. I used all kinds of methods of influence to get to the San Francisco office. Then it magically happened.”

“You are going to have a culture shock”

Seppä worked in the Silicon Valley and Seattle area with some of the largest technology firms. “Initially, I thought that there would be a large difference at work. I was told ‘You are going to have a culture shock.’” But what followed was not what Seppä was told to expect. “How can this be? 95% of all things are exactly the same.” Looking back, Seppä believes the reason for the almost non-existent culture shock lies in BCG’s strong internal culture, which overpowers the difference in national cultures – at least in a work environment context. “Overall, it was an excellent experience.”

Despite the familiar work environment, Seppä returned from the U.S. with a few insights. One of them was scale. “What is big? At the next level, how do you think about what really needs to be done, and what roles consultants should play to deliver results in large projects?” The experience from the Ambassador Program increased Seppä’s credibility within technology-driven projects. Upon returning to Finland, Seppä was appointed to lead the TMT (Technology, Media, and Telecommunications) Practice in the Nordics.

A few years later, in the summer of 2008, Seppä was appointed partner at BCG. However, what followed was one of the most significant shocks to the consulting business – and the global economy by and large. Two months after the appointment, Lehman Brothers went into bankruptcy. “As a partner, you have a plan about your client base. That completely collapsed in September.”

Around the same time, the leader of BCG’s Helsinki practice announced that he would move to another position. The firm needed a new leader for the office. At that time, the office had about thirty consultants, and there had recently been a generational shift. Realistically, there were two viable options. “My tenure as a partner was three months then. The other candidate had nine months. Ultimately, I was asked to lead the office at 32 years of age.”

When Seppä formally assumed the role at the beginning of 2009, BCG had just moved to the current office on Kluuvikatu. “As we reviewed our ongoing work, we had one project. One.” BCG could either downsize or develop new momentum. The decision was clear. “We are not going to reorganize anything. Instead, we will go to our client with a plan. We can either be a disposable problem in their [client’s] cost structure. Or we can be a part of the solution.” During the financial crisis, the focus shifted from merely offering solutions to actually executing them – together with the clients.

Like in the rest of the world, financial markets were practically frozen in Europe. “We had one large listed client who could not renew their financing. Their working capital was rising with no end in sight.” The markets were down, and liquidity just was not available. “They were accumulating inventories, with current clients returning products at the same time. To solve the problem, we launched a very systematic capital release program. Every week, we met up with the CEO, CFO, and division heads. Eventually, the project began showing real results, and we shifted to biweekly meetings. Over 18 months, we managed to unlock hundreds of millions of capital, restructuring financing. The client ended up having an exceptional year. So did we: 10% growth from the situation that we had practically no ongoing projects.”

The timing of stepping into leading the Helsinki Office could hardly have been more challenging. “People may imagine BCG is a huge company, almost like a conglomerate. At the end of the day, [management consultants] are based on partnerships. What you choose to do – or not to do – has a tremendous impact. If you want to make something happen, it usually is possible. But if you decide to just coast, it will quickly lead to problems.” Seppä emphasizes the importance of initiative in the role, “What has been really rewarding about this kind of career has been the significance of an entrepreneurial mindset.”

Even if the entrepreneurial nature of the work remained, a lot changed when Seppä transitioned to a leading an entire office. “I received some advice: ‘You have to remember the goal is to get others to act indirectly.’ The biggest shift was realizing that my job is trying to energize others to do things that would not happen automatically. Everyone naturally moves to some direction.” With a grin, Seppä adds, “But we all know that if you get just a little additional energization, you may start moving a little faster. It’s not about doing others’ responsibilities but rather enabling them to work at maximum capacity.”

In 2015, Seppä transitioned from leading the Helsinki office to overseeing all offices in the Nordics. While the managerial role may appear similar on the surface, the shift came with a clear increase in complexity, increasing the number of dimensions. “In a local office you lead the local people to do their best and stay connected with the global BCG network. At the Nordic level, you must get the local teams and their leaders aligned. They cannot operate as separate islands.” Seppä highlights that fostering engagement across borders was essential. “If a team is in one place physically, there is a lot of natural interaction, which builds unity. In contrast, when you are not in one location, the possibilities to create that sense of unity must be created actively.”

However, the leadership activities at the Helsinki or Nordics level did not stop Seppä from also engaging in client work. One turnaround project, in particular, stood out. “The company was one of those typically referred to as a stock market darling. It had given six profit warnings in a row. The CEO had changed. A few weeks into the project, I was sitting at the client’s headquarters. The chairman of the board of directors came to me, asking if I could come to his office. He said, ‘There is going to be another profit warning. Could you draft the stock exchange release?’” Seppä replied with calmness, “Sure, I can write one.”

What was the content of the stock exchange release? The current CEO would be dismissed. In addition, a turnaround program would be announced. Seppä was taken aback, “We had not agreed on any program with the board.” The chairman of the BoD responded, “Don’t worry about it – I will take care of it. Let’s just write that we are launching a restructuring program and state its goals.” The stock price rose 12% the following morning.

Seppä, with his team, worked on the project for a full year, turning the company from issuing frequent profit warnings to a successful firm. “That project left a lasting impression. This is at the core of the purpose of the firm [BCG]. I want to do more of this kind of work, where I can contribute significantly and directly.” The project cultivated a main direction for Seppä’s career: leading major transformation efforts. “If I was previously an expert in the technology field, I now found myself again. It is now more about what kind of projects to work on and less about on which specific sector the work is performed in.”

“I thought I had seen it all”

In 2022, BCG concluded to formally establish a practice, BCG Transform. Conveniently, it was also a great time for Seppä to pass on the leadership role of the Nordics. Seppä was asked to lead the Global Transformation practice. Reflecting the nomination, Seppä remarked, “I had been in the house for quite some time. I thought I had seen it all. However, it is quite like spending your whole life looking out from one window. Then someone opens another room with a different window and there is a completely different view. That’s what it felt like.”

Taking on the responsibility proved to be both a major change and a rewarding challenge. “The degree of freedom increases significantly. At the start of the formation of the global practice unit, I spent a lot of time in the US, trying to establish a uniform direction across the globe. Another goal was laying the foundation for a few transformation projects with excellent results.“ From focusing on a single portion of a single project at the beginning of his career, Seppä is now steering projects across the globe. “Leading a global practice requires global presence. When we are executing the most important projects of the clients’ lifetimes at a high standard, it is reasonable to be present.”

Having worked first as a consultant in Helsinki to leading the Nordics and now heading BCG’s global transformation practice, Seppä has had time to reflect. What personal qualities have enabled him to reach this level in a competitive global firm?

“Do not stress about the work too much, trust your and your teams’ ability to deliver. There is plenty else to life except from work. Be composed and have confidence.” One another factor is highlighted specifically in management consulting. “In the first 15 years of this job, you are going to be younger than anyone else in the room. You have to be content with that. Age is just a number.”

This mindset of age being just a number came into play early in Seppä’s career. In one of his first projects, the clients celebrated the successful results by a playful game, “Hey, how old do you think that Seppä is?” They didn’t know at all. “35? 37? Maybe 34, looks a bit young?” Seppä was 26 at the time. Seppä explains that a certain level of basic maturity takes you far. “Do not expect that being young or without experience prevent you from speaking up. Go all in. Forget the age.”

The qualities Seppä emphasizes, trust and maturity, are broadly beneficial. But what makes a good leader specifically in management consulting? “In this business, I think the most relevant aspect is being able to energize employees to accomplish things that would not happen without guidance. Coordinating professional knowledge workers by telling them ‘do this today, do this tomorrow’ is not a way to lead them. Rather, you have smart people and a goal. To succeed you have to ideate together, finding different approaches.”

Equally important is the nature of the goal. High-quality work may still miss the mark if it doesn’t address the right problems. “If we solve the relevant problems, the others will come naturally as a result. In this way, the energy of the leader is directed towards the areas that take you forward.”

In his varying leadership roles, Seppä has seen how differing qualities take on greater importance depending on the context. Being close to recruiting whilst in charge of the Helsinki office, Seppä highlights the importance of building true engagement from the start. “New recruits do not just come to work. They come to a place where they can accomplish many times over what they could have accomplished alone. As a leader, opening consultants’ possibilities to various clients, firms, and people is paramount.”

Having worked at BCG for over two decades, there must be something that keeps Seppä coming back every morning. “Over time the projects have turned to client relationships. Watching the partnered firms and clients grow over time is incredibly meaningful. Being at BCG for a long time, I could write my CV on one line. Or alternatively, I could list all the significant journeys from where we started and where we ended up. That would be a lot longer of a list. What is extremely interesting to me is that I have had the possibility to do all these high impact projects I could not have done by working at individual firms.”

Beyond titles and projects, what ultimately matters? For Seppä, a few key principles have guided his path. And they are the same he now shares with young alumni and students starting out. “Do work that gives you more energy than it takes. Find something that genuinely feels like your passion. In that kind of role, you’ll worry less about needing to be at work or wishing you had more time off. Of course, free time matters, and you should have it, but when you truly enjoy your work, the attraction will be much higher. So do what excites you. And if it doesn’t excite you, you should probably find something that does.“

Another principle that Seppä links to his experience in getting a spot in the Ambassador Program is cutting through the fluff and allocating time to the meaningful stuff. “When you identify something that you want, you must put a lot of energy into making that come true. Be true to yourself about what it is. Many times, I’ve politely declined instead of saying yes and chasing the wrong things.” But when you do identify what you want, Seppä adds, “If you want to be a caliph, then you should act like a caliph. If you want to be a partner, you should work with the mindset of being a partner before becoming one.”

But ultimately, Seppä returns to the theme of perspective. “As a young person, these things feel big and significant, but in the grand scheme of things, they truly do not matter. All things will find their place.” In Seppä’s eyes, building a career in management consulting is less about racing to the top, but more about staying in the game with purpose. ”It’s like a marathon. There are periods of suffering, but at the end, it is incredibly rewarding.”

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