Tallink Silja Line Voyage publication valid until 4.2025

BEAUTY I
There are pianos on Tallink’s vessels. The newest
ship MyStar has an Estonia grand piano, which
plays by itself but can also be played by
passengers. How often do you play the piano?
I have not learnt to play the piano, even though
my mother is a piano teacher. But everyone on
MyStar is welcome to sit behind the piano and
play – that’s what the instrument is there for.
Do you relax by listening to music or do you
prefer the sound of silence? Do you like classical
music? What kind of music do you listen to?
I’m very flexible when it comes to music. I listen
to good music :-) But I do indeed relax better in
silence, on an exercise bike or while traveling.
Tallink has 14 vessels and 40 captains.
When you started this job, did you go aboard
all the ships in your Baltic Sea fleet? How often
do you visit the ships and meet the captains?
Yes, I visit all our ships and their teams regularly,
at least a couple of times a year. I talk to different
colleagues, including captains, and keep myself
up to date with what is going well and what
needs improvement.
What qualities make a good captain?
A captain must be somewhat of a perfectionist,
an experienced leader, and a psychologist.
They say there are no seamen in politics because
there is no room for diplomacy at sea. People
expect a leader to make clear decisions. Do
constantly evolving and challenging times
cause decision making to be twice as hard?
Based on my own experience I would say that
Estonia, Finland and Sweden do have some “seamen”
or straightforward politicians in their ranks.
Sadly, not many though :-) But yes, our senior
management’s decision-making skills and capabilities
were truly tested during the COVID crisis.
The way we came out of that crisis really is testament
to the fact that our management has all
those skills and capabilities.
You were asked to join Tallink Grupp as CEO in
2018 and you only had 12 hours to think about it.
Was it the biggest decision of your life?
The number of hours I had for decision-making
was actually less, in single digits. I hope it’s too
early to talk about what has been the biggest decision
of my life. It may be yet to come. But was it a
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The Nicest Way to Beauty 11