Tallink Silja Line Voyage publication valid until 4.2025

I PERSONA GRATA
big decision to move from the arts to running
Estonia’s biggest company? Of course, it was, but
I have enjoyed every moment of it. Interestingly,
I have to say that the COVID crisis was a fascinating
time for me as an executive. Tough and exhausting
but also interesting at the same time.
You always wear an impeccable suit and a
white shirt. What do you wear in your free time?
Do you even have free time?
If the weather is warm and it is suitable, I will
happily wear shorts and a polo shirt. But yes,
professionally I have stuck to a certain style,
and it works for me. I guess this is the phase
I am in at the moment.
„Tallink has used the crises
of the last four years to
drive change, and we have
definitely changed.”
How do you keep fit, both mentally and
physically?
I try to keep a good work/home life balance.
Understandably I don’t always succeed because
I take my work with me everywhere, but I like
my work. Four times a week I try to burn off
my excess energy on an exercise bike.
Who has been your greatest teacher?
What values have your parents instilled in you?
My parents have given me intelligence, and my
ability to read and interpret people and situations.
I’ve had many influential teachers, most of whom
are unaware they’ve had an impact on me.
I like to observe people and make note
of what I wouldn’t want to be like –
how I wouldn’t want to behave or what
I wouldn’t want to do. I carry these
thoughts with me and create my
own Paavo.
What is the most special souvenir
you’ve ever brought back from a trip?
I’m not much of a souvenir buyer. I’d
rather bring back something delicious
or practical. Whether it is a fresh mango,
a peppermint nasal stick or a new tie.
The shipping magnate
Aristotle Onassis has said:
„We must free ourselves of
the hope that the sea will ever rest. We must
learn to sail high winds.“ What has six years
of being the Chairman of the Management
Board of Tallink Grupp taught you?
My time in Tallink, which includes the years of
the COVID pandemic and war in Europe, has really
cemented the notion that anything is possible.
You have to work hard, find colleagues who can
help you solve problems, and the storm will pass.
There is a saying that „Anyone can hold the helm
when the sea is calm“. The last four years have
required us all to have plans B, C, D… Has that
need for extreme flexibility created innovative
solutions?
Tallink has used the crises of the
last four years to drive change, and
we have definitely changed. Some
things we have done well and some
have not gone as planned. That’s
life. But Tallink has a very strong
team and if there’s ever a situation
for which we don’t have a contingency
plan, then I’m confident we’ll
come up with one very quickly.
Is it possible to make Tallink even
better?
Of course, the world is changing and Tallink with it.
In 2024 the Estonian president Alar Karis awarded
you The Order of the White Star III Class.
What does this recognition mean to you?
I am grateful for this recognition, of course I am.
I guess it means that I have done something in my
44 years that has mattered to people. I don’t think
too much of myself, I concentrate more on other
people.
You are a man of action. What next, what do you
dream of? What makes your eyes sparkle?
I hope that after all these crises – COVID, war,
recession – there will be a calmer period
where travelling and doing business are
more carefree. Maybe that would allow
me to worry less, although I’m not sure
I’d know how to do that :-) This summer
I never made it to Pühajärve, to take
the boat out onto the lake and just
relax.
What should we wish to you for
the future? May the wind always be
in your sails!
Thank you.
12