Nordic Choice Hotels’ new COO fell head over heels for the corporate culture

When Nordic Choice Hotels needed a new Chief Operating Officer for Finland, they turned to Signium; and just over four months ago the hotel chain got a new addition, in the form of Erika Ehrnrooth.

“As soon as I got a feel for Nordic Choice Hotels’ corporate culture, I fell in love. It was the company for me”.

Erika Ehrnrooth

Erika comes to us from her role as Group CEO of the Finnish recruitment and staffing company Eilakaisla. With that experience under her belt, Christopher Thölix, (Managing Partner at Signium’s Executive Search Consultancy) in Stockholm and Helsinki, quickly saw her potential. When the right position became available, he immediately thought of Erika.

Too good to turn down

“Erika understands the interaction between people. Both how they relate to each other within complex organisations, but also in all kinds of customer relationships. We knew that her strengths would be a perfect fit for Nordic Choice Hotels and their goals in the Finnish market” says Christopher.

“I had a really good first meeting with Christopher Thölix at Signium. He wanted to know how I thought about my future and then he presented an opportunity that was too good to turn down” says Erika.

Nordic Choice Hotels is one of the world’s largest hotel chains. Expansion into the Finnish market began in 2016. And after the acquisition of Kämp Collection Hotels in Finland in 2019, Helsinki has become Nordic Choice Hotels’ third largest market after Oslo and Stockholm.

Like-minded colleagues who share the vision

After five months in her role, Erika’s initial view of the company remains as positive as ever. Now her focus, and that of the rest of the business, is on continued growth in Finland.

“The staff at Nordic Choice is very committed. They not only love working in this industry, but at this particular company; and that’s a reflection of how the company is managed – they put people first. Because all of us, as part of Nordic Choice staff, have to serve guests and exceed their expectations – we don’t sell a ready-made product on a shop shelf – we have to succeed every time. It’s great to work with colleagues who share my values. Who dare to see the opportunity in investing in people – and how that leads to a bigger result on the bottom line” says Erika.

“From our perspective, the recruitment process couldn’t have had a better outcome and we look forward to following Erika’s journey in the company. We are particularly proud of a match where both parties value the role of corporate culture in the business so highly” concludes Christopher.