Who I am

I’m Risto Pukki — a board professional and strategic business development leader with 17+ years of experience building and scaling technical B2B service businesses. I’ve worked in organizations from small teams to multi-hundred person units and created an AI strategy that delivered measurable revenue contribution in year one. I bring an operator’s perspective to the boardroom: strategy becomes execution, priorities become results, and governance drives growth.

Board professional, board member

My focus: board work

I’m specifically interested in board roles in growth-oriented B2B service companies, particularly those scaling internationally or implementing AI-enabled business transformation. I help boards and leadership teams bridge the gap between strategic intent and operational reality — ensuring decisions lead to measurable results, not just meeting minutes.

I’ve completed the Aalto EE Board of Directors Programme (2022) and currently serve as a board member of Helsinki’s Puistola School Board, where I gained hands-on experience in governance, stakeholder management, and strategic oversight in a public sector context. I’m currently pursuing the HHJ (Certified Board Professional) certification to deepen my board-level expertise.

I combine strategic thinking with hands-on execution experience in international technical B2B services:

Here’s what I bring from 17+ years of leadership in technical B2B services — scaled, tested, and proven in real business environments:

Strategic growth execution — I’ve scaled business units multiple times: doubled headcount while maintaining profitability, grown departments from teams of 5-10 to 80+ professionals. I know what sustainable growth looks like in practice, not just on paper.

AI strategy that drives revenue — I created and led the implementation of an AI strategy at an international engineering services company (publicly listed, 3,800+ employees across 7 countries). In the first year, AI-attributed revenue reached measurable double-digit percentage of total revenue. I can help boards move from AI experimentation to AI monetization.

P&L discipline at scale — Led business units with P&L responsibility for 100+ professionals in co-operation with multiple service lines. I understand what drives profitability in services businesses and how to balance growth investments with margin discipline.

Commercial transformation — Transformed service delivery models from ad-hoc resource sales to value-based, recurring service solutions. Built sales frameworks that converted entire business units from transactional to strategic account management, opening new market sectors including government contracts.

International B2B services expertise — Deep experience in technical services (Engineering, Technical Documentation Solutions) across Finland, Sweden, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Denmark, and China. I understand the operational complexity of scaling services across borders and cultures.

What I bring to a board

My current role

As Vice President of Technical Communication and Data Solutions at Etteplan (publicly listed, 3,800+ employees across 7 countries), I lead strategic business development for the company’s largest Technical Documentation business unit in Europe.

Strategic deal leadership — Steering must-win solution sales, shaping profitable proposals, and building a pipeline that consistently converts strategic opportunities into long-term contracts.

Service productization & scalability — Building the global playbook for service products, value propositions, and business models that scale across multiple countries and service lines.

Performance governance — Owning Business Plan execution (Must Win Battles tracking), global budget control, and translating strategy into measurable quarterly progress.

I’m particularly valuable to boards in these situations:

B2B service companies scaling internationally — especially in professional services, engineering services, or technical services where operational complexity meets growth ambition.

Companies implementing AI transformation — where the board needs a credible voice who has actually delivered AI revenue, not just experimented with pilots.

Growth-stage companies building commercial discipline — transitioning from founder-led sales to scalable, repeatable sales processes and strategic account management.

Organizations where strategy and execution don’t connect — boards that need someone who can translate boardroom decisions into operational reality and track what actually changes.

Where I can add the most value

Board professional, board member

If you’re looking for a board member who brings proven experience in scaling B2B services, AI-driven revenue growth, and execution discipline, let’s talk. I’m open to board and advisory roles in growth-oriented companies.

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