Scaling with a Company: Insights on Personal Growth

Elina Hanén's keynote, Scaling with a Company, Insights on Personal Growth, dove into Elina’s learnings on individuals' abilities to scale with an organisation, offering practical lessons for anyone looking to thrive in a fast-paced environment. 

RELEX Solutions: A story of remarkable growth 

Elina opened by sharing RELEX Solutions’ extraordinary journey: from a modest €0.1M in 2005 to €291M in 2024, with an unbroken record of 70 consecutive quarters of ARR growth. Today, RELEX operates in 19 offices across 17 countries, serving over 600 customers within retail, consumer goods, and manufacturing. Their commitment to innovation is clear: 25% of revenue is reinvested into R&D, and the company boasts a 97% customer retention rate, a strong Net Promoter Score, and a positive environmental impact, saving 1 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents annually. 

Leading finance through change 

As VP Financial Control & Operations, Elina leads a team of 37 professionals, managing €5.5M in expenses and overseeing all financial operations. Her team’s achievements include slashing financial reporting time from 20 to just 6 days, integrating acquisitions, and establishing new legal entities in Brazil and Thailand, demonstrating the power of operational excellence in supporting growth. 

Read more about how RELEX and Staria work together in Streamlining Internationalization; a customer story about RELEX Solutions.

The personal side of scaling 

Elina’s career path is as dynamic as RELEX’s growth: from auditor to CFO, co-founder of a start-up, and now a key leader at RELEX. She emphasised the importance of finding one’s “why”—the sense of meaning, interest, and motivation that fuels growth and learning. Her advice: start with what truly motivates you, and let that guide your journey. 

The four-step thinking process for scaling 

Elina shared a practical framework for scaling with a company: 

1. Why: Begin with meaningfulness and motivation. Genuine interest is the foundation for engagement and learning. 

2. How: Develop a personal decision-making process and have the courage to act, even with incomplete information. Learn from experience and adapt. 

3. What: Define purpose, strategy, and as clear goals and responsibilities as possible. In fast-growing environments, clarity prevents overwhelm and burnout. 

4. What If: Regularly reflect and adjust plans as challenges arise. Growth comes from learning and adapting to new situations. 

Leadership and growth: Key takeaways 

• Growth requires robust infrastructure: business processes, communication, and personal development. 

• Decision-making should consider multiple perspectives: for example financial, legal, people, and organisational. 

• Flexibility and readiness to change decisions when new information arises are vital. 

• In scaling companies, it’s important to pause and reflect, build your own path rather than relying solely on external advice. 

Elina’s keynote was a masterclass in blending business growth with personal development. Her message: focus on meaningful motivation, structured decision-making, clarity of purpose, and the courage to adapt and grow. These are the keys to scaling not just a company, but yourself, in today’s dynamic business landscape.