Our story

Operaria’s story

Operaria today is the result of partnerships built over time. During our more than 20 years of operation, we have transformed from a one-woman company focused on financial management recruitment into a multidisciplinary team of experts.

From a one-woman company to a team of professionals

Ulla Partanen founded Operaria in 1999 when she discovered a market demand for headhunting services for financial management, financial professionals and other vacancies in the field. Finnish accounting firms were constantly experiencing a shortage of skilled staff. When Ulla realized that the opera and aria she loved had a connection to her work in recruitment, the name “Operaria” was born. Operaria is Latin and means working woman. Operaria started as a one-woman company and has been a successful provider of high-quality and customized human resource services for more than 20 years. Markus Fabricius and Paula Peltolin became shareholders in 2010 as Ulla prepared to hand over her company to the next generation.

Becoming a multidisciplinary recruiting partner

With Markus’ background and network of contacts, Operaria’s recruitment operations expanded to include the recruitment of B2B salespeople and corporate management. At the same time, we added the recruitment of temporary staff and managers to our range of services. In addition, Markus’ passion for multidisciplinary service has led us to establish business partnerships, use channels of influence, and further expand our services. Under Markus’ leadership, Operaria has grown into a thriving network that extends to other Nordic countries. Today, we help place experts and leaders in management positions in technology, fashion, law, administration, commerce, and manufacturing.

A recruitment partner with whom
you can trust your most important asset

Why we do what we do

The inspiration for our story dates to the 1980s. While serving as the Executive Director of the Association of Accounting Firms (now the Financial Management Association), Ulla Partanen became aware of the need for employment services in her field. Vacant positions and experts in financial administration teams were not finding one another, so a change needed to be made. Even today, the activities of our team are driven by the desire to take recruitment in a more sustainable direction within the lifecycle of the employment relationship. We build bridges between companies and experts, and we encourage business decision-makers to build bridges within their companies as well. For example, how is learning managed in the company? What are the prospects for growth, development, and expansion of responsibilities within the company? We are inspired by the opportunity to engage in the growth stories of individuals and companies, each more interesting than the last.

We feel privileged to be involved in a wide range of development and recruitment projects. We have all experienced in practice what it is like to work in a flexible and forward-driven organization. When necessary, we all focus our attention on a specific task to enhance it with new ideas and perspectives. Sometimes a tight schedule dictates a change in direction, and we are quick to react to this. Staying on the move makes our workdays varied and interesting.

We actively monitor the development trends of our own and our customers’ industries to utilize the in-depth understanding gained from them in our customers’ projects. We are excited that we can be a part of that change and, at the same time, learn new things for ourselves. Positively influencing working life drives us forward. The strong normalization of remote working in 2020 provided the initial impetus for developing a new digital onboarding platform which is scheduled to be released in winter 2021. Our industry is constantly evolving, and we see this as an opportunity not a threat.

Our values

A company is said to look like its leader. Operaria is no exception in this respect. Not only does Operaria’s owner personify the values on which its business is based, but these values unite the team and form a foundation for a sustainable business.

Partnership

We are a partner that walks alongside the employer and the expert, and the core of our offering is our robust expertise, service-mindedness, and extensive network of professionals. With our personalized service and uncomplicated communication, we create the ideal basis for productive cooperation. Thanks to our lean corporate structure, we operate quickly and flexibly. As a long-term strategic partner, we aim to support the company’s employer brand as well as its growth and development. In addition, we employ entrepreneurs as our recruitment consultants.

Curiosity

Curiosity underpins and helps us develop our operations. We listen to the needs of our customers and build new services accordingly. We also familiarize ourselves with the employers’ and experts’ worlds and their goals for the future. In addition, we focus on constantly developing our processes and increasing our in-depth understanding of our customers’ operating environments. Our assessment services, which meet international quality standards and break down prejudices and biases, are an integral part of our recruitment process.

Responsibility

We want to make a positive impact on working life and its development. As a fair employer and partner, we invest in responsible and fact-based recruitment. Experts are always at the heart of our operations, which is reflected in how we actively communicate and discuss a wide range of topics. We regularly direct a portion of our proceeds to initiatives furthering access to education and employment opportunities both in Finland and developing countries. We are an environmentally friendly service provider. We compensate for all carbon emissions generated from our business operations.

Seeking a solution for your recruitment challenge?

We can help. We respond to contact requests via email or with a short 10-minute phone call.
Let’s figure out what kind of strengthening your team or recruitment process would benefit from.