Annu Kärkkäinen

Hi there, former of the board and all other members! I’m Annu, a fourth-year Prosessiteekkari currently diving into my master’s studies. I’m applying for the position of Vice Chair of the guild for 2026. 

As a curious and active student, I first got interested in taking on responsibilities when I became a headISO and later moved on to various official roles and the beloved role of Fuksi Captain. I’m known as a cheerful, eager and reliable person and I’m always up for a good laugh. Volunteering has been genuinely fun and I still have plenty of interest in continuing with guild work!

As Vice Chair, I’d have the chance to contribute to the development of this new position and of course take on the important responsibility of handling guild matters. Most of my volunteering experience so far has revolved around organizing or helping with events, so I’d like to step into the administrative side and take on new kinds of tasks. My time as Fuksi Captain gave me a lot of valuable experience working on the board. Therefore I found myself wanting more opportunities to focus on advancing the board’s and the guild’s common goals, especially the smaller or more specific ones. 

Our guild wouldn’t run without our officials. I’d make sure everyone has the chance to take part in recreational activities alongside their responsibilities and would be open to discuss how we could best support officials bringing their own ideas to life. I’m also quite familiar with the secretary duties, having taken lots of meetings before and I’ve definitely learned a few lessons the hard way! 

Close cooperation with the Chair is important, and I’ve already had plenty of practice working as a pair. I promise to be a reliable right hand, keep communication flowing and step in to help whenever needed! As a board member, I’d focus on building a strong team spirit, keeping our cooperation smooth and always cheering others on. The guild has become really important to me and the experiences and friendships it’s given me will definitely stay with me. I hope this board would also count on each other no matter what and keep things fun along the way! 

Please feel free to drop any questions below or have a chat if you see me on campus!

1. The position of Vice Chair is part of PT’s board structure for the second time in a long while. How would you develop this role within the board, and how do you envision its future? 

It would be great to first hear more about the previous board’s thoughts and experiences! The vice chair serves as the chair’s support and can also take care of the board’s internal matters, such as planning shared recreational activities and handling tasks that don’t directly fall under anyone else’s role. 

The vice chair also has their own committee and responsibilities to manage. It’s therefore important to make sure that the role doesn’t just become a collection point for leftover or shared tasks. Communication between the vice chair and the rest of the board is extremely important in such a new position! I’m confident in expressing my opinions and discussing them constructively, so I believe the definition of clear boundaries and task division will continue to develop naturally. 

I was a member of the most recent board, which didn’t have a separate vice chair role. Because of that, I took part in several discussions about the topic and saw firsthand how much this role is needed. This will now be only the second time that

the vice chair exists as a separate position and I think new people, experiences, and perspectives will help shape and strengthen it in the future. 

2. PT has around one hundred officials each year, and it is important to keep them motivated throughout their term. How do you view the current recreational activities for the association’s officials, and how would you further develop them to enhance motivation and activity? 

I think it’s great that officials can organize recreational activities within their own committees and receive support from the board. When these activities are arranged together and everyone is welcome, the group bonds better and work tends to run more smoothly. It’s important that everyone has the chance to take part in some kind of recreation, and that someone in each committee makes sure it actually happens! 

Good team bonding and great introduction to the tasks are extra important. When people enjoy working together, know what they’re doing and understand what’s

possible, they stay motivated! The Officials’ Changeover is a great example of an event to thank our officials. It could also be worth thinking about whether there’s interest in other types of recreational events for example, a relaxed evening hangout in the teekkari village (or somewhere else!) or some other kind of wellbeing event.