Career Stories | Agda Vähä-Piikkiö, Senior Associate, M&A

Agda Vähä-Piikkiö works as a senior associate in our M&A Team. Agda began her Hannes journey back in 2017 as a trainee, and she was appointed as a senior associate in October 2022. Agda holds a master’s degree in laws from the University of Turku.

What has your career at Hannes Snellman been like?

I first joined Hannes in January 2017 as an associate trainee in the M&A Team, and here I am still after all these years although my title has changed a few times from thesis trainee to associate and from associate to senior associate. In 2017, I was a fifth-year law student and did not really know much (if anything at all) about M&A or what it was like to work in a law firm but ever since, it has been a proper deep dive into the world of M&A. During my time here at Hannes, I have gained quite a wide experience of various types of M&A transactions both cross-border and in Finland and have worked mainly with industrial clients. I have also had a chance to get familiar with questions related to the monitoring of foreign corporate acquisitions and have advised clients in general corporate and contract law on a daily basis.

What do you like the most about working in the M&A Team?

I like how versatile M&A work is. It offers a great vantage point to get familiar with different businesses and see how different industries work. When working in M&A, you also get to continuously be in touch with other people, whether clients, counterparties, or other advisors participating in the project both in Finland and abroad, which brings a nice hint of internationality to it as well. In the M&A Team, you also get to see the whole life cycle of a transaction project. All in all; you rarely have a dull day at work. Thus, it is always exciting to get up in the morning and to head to work. Also, it often is the case that you end up spending the day doing something totally different from what you had planned in the morning. In addition, M&A projects are largely a team effort with team spirit at the core of it, which is something our team is definitely not lacking.

Can you describe the Hannes Snellman culture?

As I have said before, I feel we are a bunch of passionate people working together as individuals but aiming towards a common goal, i.e. the best possible result in whatever we are doing.

What is the best piece of advice you have received when it comes to your career?

I do not think that any particular piece of advice sticks out, but what has stayed in my mind in general is staying curious and the idea that you must stay open-minded and keep trying new stuff while also working with different people — regardless of whether they are more senior or junior than you, you will always learn something from working with different people. At times, it can also be a good idea to just take a deep breath.

FAVOURITE | Way of Commuting – Walking Book – Hard one… some good classic Lunch – A salad with a lot of fillings Podcast – I really do prefer audiobooks over podcasts Work Equipment – Laptop… not sure one can be very imaginative with this one Afternoon Routine – As dull as it sounds but getting up to get coffee Mobile Application – Google Maps Relaxation Method – Jogging and reading Work Outfit – Just something comfortable Power Song – A personal secret I am not ready to share Website – boredpanda.com Social Media Channel – Instagram (mainly for stalking others) Drink – Lemon & ginger green tea Weekday – Thursday Leisure Activity –Riding and fencing

You are one of Hannes Snellman's mentors in the Oikismentorointi Law Mentoring Programme. Can you tell us about that?

Oikismentorointi helps students or recent graduates from diverse backgrounds to reach their goals to pursue studies and career within the field of law. The mentor-mentee pairs get together several times during the course of the programme to discuss various topics, such as applying to law school, studying law, working as a lawyer, and the different career opportunities.

I am participating in the programme as a mentor for the fourth time now. From a mentor’s perspective, Oikismentorointi offers an amazing opportunity to get to know motivated young people interested in pursuing a career in law, while it also provides an opportunity to promote diversity within the legal field and contribute to positive societal change more generally.

Hannes Snellman is cooperating with Päätös, a podcast focused on decision-making. Inspired by the podcast, we would like to conclude this interview by asking you about decision-making — what would you say is the most significant decision you have made when it comes to your professional life?

The decision not to go to Iceland for a study exchange towards the end of law school. Another study exchange was always some kind of a plan B for me but what I really wanted to do was to try work and to do a traineeship abroad. Consequently, I declined the study exchange place already offered to me and decided to try harder to find an interesting trainee position abroad. That paid off, and I ended up visiting New York, but I also ended up applying to Hannes in the meantime. Thus, with the decision to decline plan B in order to pursue plan A, I ended up at Hannes and the world of M&A instead of Iceland. Obviously, I do not know what I missed out on and where I would be now if I had decided the other way, but I am pretty sure I would not have ended up doing M&A after graduation. So, although I usually say yes to trying new things, saying no when something does not support your real goal and interests paid off quite well that time.