Eva Lerbacka

Chief Financial Officer
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Isokarintie 1, FI-67900 Kokkola

Kewatec's finance in good control

If your workstation in the Kewatec office happens to be so well-suited that you don't see what's going on but hear a lot, you learn from the sounds of the steps to determine who is passing by or up and down the stairs. Often from rearwards, you can hear sharp and crisp steps. Then you can almost be sure that it’s our Chief Financial Officer that will come up the stairs half running and go back to his office shortly the same way. If you further hear a more vivid voice than usual, you can be sure. It is Eva.

As a woman among men

After all, talking about it doesn't make it better: Kewatec is a fairly male-dominated workplace. Its payroll has a total of only five women. The rest of the employees are men.

Two out of five women are employed by the finance office. Eva Lerbacka, M.Sc. (Econ.), Is one of them. The sharp steps and the vivid voice belong to her.

But what is it like to be a woman working with a group of guys?

“It's trouble-free. I have not experienced being treated differently from men in our work community. It's not at all difficult for me to be part of a team or say what I think.”

Strong financial skills at work and home

Eva has no inherited relationship with boats and the sea, nor did she ever acquire it later. Boatbuilding is a new world for him.

On the other hand, Eva is a strong economic expert. She has both a high level of financial education and a lot of experience in the field. And she has known the business world since childhood.

Eva is from Närpiö, south of Vaasa. She has grown up in the greenhouse business family, as do many other people in Närpiö. And now she has his entrepreneur at home. And as a hobby, Eva is also responsible for the financial management of this family business.

First Chief Financial Officer in Kewatec's history

Since 2017 Eva has been responsible for the finances of the growing company as the first CFO in Kewatec’s history. Before that, she took care of it as an accountant for ten years in an accounting firm. When Eva answered the request to accept her current position, she knew what she was doing and where she was coming from.

And there is a lot to do when you're responsible for the finances of your employer's business and your own family business.

Three handsome boys

After all, Eva's life does not just work. She takes care of herself by exercising such as jogging and going to the gym.

At home, Eva is also greeted by three handsome sons, whose pictures decorate her desk.

“Maybe a male-dominated job is not a problem for me because not only our family business, but my family is very male-dominated,” Eva laughs.

And it also seems to be the closest thing to a mother's heart, so that her boys can grow up healthy and find their place in life.

Versatile and variable job description

Like as a mother at home, at work, Eva faces many different and varied challenges. “Kewatec is still a relatively small company. There is not a designated employee for each job. Also, the financial manager has to do many things. Therefore, my job description is both broad and diverse.”

So yes: who other than Eva takes care of organizing exercise classes for the people in the office? Who brings sweet rolls from the store when customers need to have coffee? Eva has plenty of work to do with the many challenges of financial management, but she doesn't shy away from practical tasks.

Sometimes, though, the sweet rolls are brought by the CEO. Eva shares her experience with many other Kewatec employees, who are not bored with the lack of challenges and the monotony. Sometimes they are easier, sometimes harder. But there are always enough, and often they are new. For example, Eva herself would like to be able to develop and automate her work processes to focus on tasks that the computer cannot do on her behalf.

Interesting job and good community

Eva is not alone in Kewatec expressing her thoughts like this:

“The best part of my job is to see where the company's financial management figures come from. I can follow the entire production chain from the design of the boat to its delivery and see how the different stages of production interact with each other.

And even as a relatively new employee, Eva dares to say that Kewatec has a good team spirit. "The work community is open in a way that all its employees are easy to approach, regardless of the position they hold."

And certainly, it’s not for criticism when Eva says, "Kewatec feels like a family business."

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