Leyla Akgez-Laakso is an experienced IT leader, with a focus on engaging teams to work together on large transformations. She has been working as the CIO for Finavia since 2019, and before that working on IT for banking, manufacturing, and technology companies. At Finavia she has led IT through a fluctuation of passenger numbers, extensive terminal expansions, and IT renewal projects, delivering consistent quality and operational stability. In this exclusive interview, we speak with Finavia CIO Leyla Akgez-Laakso about the IT function she leads and its biggest achievements, emerging tech on her radar, as well Asher focus areas and challenges. Additionally, she shares her experience as a member of the Executive Business Network Aurora Live, the value it brings her, and why having a peer network is crucial for the modern CIO.

We asked, why is having a peer network and joining relevant events important for today’s IT leaders…

“I think being a CIO is quite a lonely job. Even though you would be part of the executive teaming your company, you are always surrounded by customers in a way because everybody else in the company is using IT. So, you don’t really have peers within the company that you can bounce ideas with. For me, having this kind of peer network has proven valuable, and I know many CIOs are in the same situation. It’s really great”.

Read the full interview!