Meet Anne Pakari, one of Open Ecosystem Network’s co-founders at Nokia

Hi Anne! You’ve worked with OpEN (Open Ecosystem Network) since the very beginning. If you had to explain what OpEN is to a 12-year-old, what would you say?

“I’d say it’s a social media platform for doing business. And not just for doing business with the people in your existing networks, but with anyone: people from all industries and organisations, and independent experts as well.

“We believe that the next great innovation could come from anyone, anywhere, so any individual with an inventive business proposal is worth listening to. And joining OpEN is a great way to get your voice heard.“

People have already opened up – now it's time for companies to do the same

As one of OpEN’s co-founders, you are also one of the ambassadors working to grow the community. What is the key message you wish to communicate?

“I’m inviting people to join the openness movement.

“Most of us have been sharing much of ourselves online for more than a decade now: first on a purely personal level on Facebook and the like, then also on a professional level on LinkedIn. But while individuals have been opening up, businesses have stuck to keeping all of their knowledge, problems and needs behind closed doors.

“I believe much of this is about to change, as the digital natives enter the workforce. Teams and businesses will be built around openly communicated motivation, needs and interests, not physical locations or organisational structures. Companies won’t be able to attract the best people unless they choose to support this evolution by opening up as well.

“In order to prepare for the change, companies need to start testing and rehearsing new practices that allow for more openness. And this is the movement I’m striving to promote.”

Who do you talk to about OpEN?

“In 2017, I visited more than 40 events in order to introduce OpEN to different audiences, from students and academia to both private and public sector decision makers from all over the world. I wanted to hear their views on the openness movement, and their positive reactions convinced me that we’re on the right path.

“I also work on bringing interesting projects, communities and challenges to the OpEN platform, both from within Nokia and from the outside.”

--> What are projects, communities and challenges?

Finding the right mindset, and new business opportunities too

Who do you think is missing out most by not joining OpEN?

“Anyone who doesn’t yet believe in the power of transparency and sharing is missing out! Changing the mindset and culture of an entire organisation is a long process, so the longer you wait to begin, the more of a head start you’ll have given to your competitors by the time disruption strikes.

“People looking for new business opportunities should also join. The great thing about a big company like Nokia is that it is constantly bombarded with interesting proposals. Unfortunately, most of those proposals tend to end up on the wrong desk on the wrong day. It’s not easy to find the right person to pitch your idea to in a global organisation of 100,000 employees.

“OpEN projects and challenges are meant to make it easier for the right people to find each other, at the right time.“

--> Learn more about what OPEN does and who it is for

What’s unique about OpEN?

“There are plenty of innovation platforms around, but most of them are one-way streets where one party is calling for ideas and the others are delivering them. OpEN is multilateral, offering value for all participants.

“On OpEN you can also get collaborating and creating right away, without middlemen.”

If you are passionate about innovation and technology, willing to share your ideas and interested in finding the right people to develop them with, you should join Open Ecosystem Network. It doesn't cost you anything.

Anne Pakari

Works at Nokia and leads Community and Ecosystem Management activities in Finland, focusing on Open Ecosystem Network. Lives in Kirkkonummi, Finland.

• Tell us something you’re known for:
  “Thinking big and strategically.”
• How about something you aren’t really known for:
  “My passion for scouting, my hobby since childhood. I enjoy learning by doing, together.”
• Which innovation has changed your life for the better?
  “Mobile phones and mobile communication overall.”
• When was the last time you left the house without your mobile?
  “I guess this hasn’t happened in the 21st century!”