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Six months ago, Reetta Peltola joined s360 as the Managing Director of s360 Finland. We sat down and had a chat with her about her career and leadership journey, industry experience and local insights into spearheading our presence in the Finnish market.
I started my career in sales and marketing in the manufacturing industry. In 2011, I transitioned to digital marketing when I joined Google. My first agency assignment was in 2014, scaling up the digital marketing agency iProspect Finland. After that, I had the opportunity to lead different teams and P&Ls at Dentsu Finland, from media agencies to content marketing and work with leading brands from different industries. In addition to my day job, I have had the pleasure to serve as a board member for HOK-Elanto, one of Finland’s largest retailers, since 2023.
When I transitioned from an individual contributor role to my first management position, I was reminded that as a leader, your success is defined by the success of your team members. This mindset shift was very important.
Being at the forefront of the fast development of digital marketing excites me. You can learn something new every day. s360 both has the edge and ambition to stay at the forefront. Also, I felt a strong value fit for s360, having a culture built on a “1% better every day” mindset, meaning development and learning never stops. I was also very drawn to the fact that the company truly operates as a global unit, working with clients in cross-border teams utilising each other’s skills in the best way possible.
We are at a very exciting stage in our maturity and growth journey. We have more than 20 talented local team members with diverse backgrounds and skills, and we can easily tap into the full power of s360’s European size with 300+ digital specialists. In Finland, we get to work with great clients to support their growth. However, there is still so much more we can do for our current and future clients and contribute to the wider industry.
In April 2019, s360 launched in Finland and Helsinki as our first market outside Denmark, which is something that defines us. The Finnish office has a unique energy, which is a mix of the office being very focused during work hours despite the whole team being a tight-knit community that also has fun together.
My leadership style is built on clarity, empowerment, and continuous growth. I aim to set a clear direction while giving people the autonomy to take ownership of their work. Leadership is not about having all the answers but about fostering an environment where teams feel supported and motivated to find the best solutions. I strive to create a culture of trust where feedback flows both ways and learning is encouraged at all levels. Ultimately, I aim for every team member to feel challenged, valued, and confident to grow as professionals and individuals.
First and foremost, accept that you can always be better - a better leader for your team, a better expert, and a better partner for our clients. You both can, and you need to keep on learning.
With that, one of the most challenging aspects of leadership is balancing short-term operational needs with long-term strategic goals. The digital marketing landscape evolves fast, and keeping up with emerging trends, new technologies, and shifting client expectations demands constant learning and adaptation.
That said, this challenge is also the most rewarding part of my role. Seeing the team grow, both in size and expertise, and witnessing our impact on our clients' success makes all the effort worthwhile.
Embracing the technological shift is both an opportunity and a challenge. The winners are the ones who recognise the importance of leaning into the new technologies and can differentiate the actual impact and the hype. Another challenge currently is maximising the return on marketing investments and balancing capturing the demand while sustainably building the brand with limited investment abilities.
AI-driven marketing and automation are reshaping the way we approach digital advertising, and this is a trend I find incredibly exciting. From predictive analytics to creative optimisation, AI enables us to work smarter and deliver more personalised, data-driven marketing strategies at scale. Automating and optimising campaigns in real time allows brands to be more agile and efficient.
Beyond AI, I’m also excited about the growing role of first-party data and how brands are finding new ways to leverage it effectively. With increasing privacy regulations, businesses need to rethink their data strategies, and those who can strike the right balance between personalisation and compliance will have a strong competitive advantage.
Additionally, integrating feeds and automation in performance marketing continues to drive efficiency and growth, making it an exciting space to follow.
Interested in learning how s360 works with clients on AI-driven strategies and feed optimisation?
We aspire to be the world’s leading digital marketing agency for brands and retailers. As our world — and consequently the media — continues to digitalise, an increasing number of clients will require partners that are born digital and can provide comprehensive support throughout the customer journey, both in creating demand and capturing it across all channels.
After a few years of stagnated overall growth in Finland I do see tremendous growth potential in the market, and I want our office to be at the forefront of driving that growth. By helping more clients thrive and continuing to strengthen our local team, we’ll expand our impact. We are also committed to building even stronger relationships with our clients and delivering greater business value every step of the way.
Rebekka Rich Topholm
[email protected]
Senior Manager, Marketing
