This blog post is part of a commercial collaboration between Henley Business School and Juho Toivola. #JuhoGoesEMBA
Hello! I’m Juho.
I’m excited to share my new appointment as the Finnish brand ambassador for Henley’s Executive MBA (EMBA) programme. I will begin my studies in October 2021, and expect to complete them by the end of 2023. I invite you to join me on this quest.
I’m a 36-year old organisational psychologist from Lempäälä, Finland. My previous academic degrees consist of a M.Sc. in Psychology, and a three-year postgraduate degree in work and organisational psychology. I’ve been working in the field of HR and recruitment for my whole career. Currently I manage two Finnish growth companies: Asselmointi and Digital Minds.
I’m a proud father of three very noisy and active children (6, 3 and 1) and a devoted partner to my significant other. My hobbies include orienteering (yes, running in the forest), running (also outside the forest), golf and playing guitar. A challenge will be to manage my time and schedules effectively to ensure enough time for all of this during my studies.
When it comes to business knowledge, I’m self-taught. Therefore, I want to acquire a more robust foundation for my work in successfully leading and managing companies. I’m also interested in learning about the dynamics of different businesses and industries, and getting to know like-minded adult learners, my fellow students.
Most of my formal training in leadership has been in the domain of non-governmental organisations. I have been volunteering for several international organisations, leading projects and teams for over a decade. When I started to lead others in a business setting, I’ve been utilising these learnings from volunteer organisations to engage people and build a sense of purpose. During my EMBA studies, I’m interested in further exploring the similarities and differences of leadership in non-profit and profit-seeking organisations.
I will share my journey including all the countless hours and various emotions that it entails.
I promise to give a realistic view of what it feels like to pursue an EMBA while working full-time and taking care of your family. What’s more, you can expect a new level of transparency and detail in my live updates from EMBA events and study visits.
For those who are interested, I will also try to document and describe my study methods. Maybe you have some tips or pieces of advice that would be useful to me? I know from experience that I get things done by working early mornings. As concrete evidence, I’m writing this blog post at 6am on a Saturday morning. So I think you can expect more sunrise than sunset photos in my updates.
I’m known in the Finnish business circles as an outspoken person who is not afraid to have and share opinions. This is what you can expect from EMBA diaries as well. There will be things I’m critical about. And there will be things I’m excited about. I will share both aspects.
I have to admit, my dual role as an EMBA student and brand ambassador is both interesting and challenging. I’m pursuing a degree and – at the same time – working to keep all of you updated on the various aspects of the EMBA journey. My performance in both roles will not always be optimal, but I promise to do my best.
If you are looking for an honest opinion on or detailed information about any aspect of applying to Henley’s EMBA – Global programme or studying it, I promise to answer your questions once I begin to gather first-hand information of what it actually is like. You can reach out to me on social media, through email or by phone!
You can follow my EMBA journey through weekly updates with the hashtag #JuhoGoesEMBA on LinkedIn:
For more information about me or Henley Business School, check out my LinkedIn profile (feel free to send a connection request) and Henley’s LinkedIn page.