Meet JYU Alumni: Päivi Anttikoski – Alum of the Year 2022
A year ago, Anttikoski moved from her post as Director of Communications at the Finnish Government to SOK, where she became Director of Marketing, Communications and Corporate Responsibility.
“On my very first day at SOK, I bumped into an old university friend whom I hadn’t seen for perhaps 20 years. It’s certainly been easier to strike up a conversation with, say, the Director General at the Ministry of Finance's Budget Department, as he’s part of the same student crowd from Jyväskylä."
“JYU offered excellent opportunities for networking, and that’s really valuable.”
When choosing where to study, Anttikoski felt there was no alternative to Jyväskylä. Following in beloved newscaster Arvi Lind’s footsteps, she applied to study Finnish, but wasn’t accepted. During his gap year, Anttikoski enrolled at Alkio College to complete courses in Political Science. In the next admissions round, she applied to study Sociology – only to be rejected again.
“The University of Jyväskylä didn’t want me!” Anttikoski jokes, laughing heartily. Over the following winter, she completed a cum laude degree in Political Science and an approbatur in Journalism at the Open University of the University of Jyväskylä.
When her studies at the University of Jyväskylä began in 1993, Sociology was her main subject, and the following year Journalism became the second major. During her exchange year in Aarhus, Denmark, the focus was on TV work, and she added the Danish language to her toolkit.
Whilst working at a news programme, Päivi completed her master’s thesis, which drew on a documentary she had written, filmed and edited about Danish opponents of the EU. In Denmark, there was a critical yet warm approach to working.
“They approached journalism with such passion, and I was absolutely over the moon.”
In Finland, she found her journalistic home at the Finnish commercial television station MTV, where she remained for 17 years. Her career took her from learning the ropes of video editing under Kari Lumikero and Mika Tommola to becoming the news editor at MTV News.
After leaving MTV, Anttikoski’s career continued as editor-in-chief of digital content at the largest daily newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, and then into the heart of politics as Director of Communications at the Prime Minister’s Office – right in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis. Over the years, Anttikoski's changing roles have challenged her to learn new things and develop her skills.
In her managerial role, Anttikoski has witnessed a shift in recruitment practices. In the past, it seemed that the majority of journalists were graduates of the Department of Journalism at the University of Tampere. Over the last ten years, there has been a significant surge of graduates from the University of Jyväskylä’s journalism and communications programmes into prominent roles.
Anttikoski speaks warmly of her years in Jyväskylä.
“The University of Jyväskylä was pedagogically excellent. I enjoyed the good lecturers and the interesting courses; I felt a certain sense of relaxation there. There was a homely atmosphere and warmth on campus, as we were so close-knit.” Anttikoski, who was nicknamed ‘Mysi’, used to put up fellow students in her shared flat on Yliopistonkatu.
“The University of Jyväskylä is small in regional terms, but academically significant. The various faculties and student organisations interacted a great deal with one another and worked together. Everyone knew each other. We studied like mad and took turns working flat out on my computer to get our assignments done.”
Päivi Anttikoski feels she’s not one to give advice to anyone, as everyone shapes their own life and career. Still, she does offer a few thoughts on the subject.
“You should make the most of your university studies! You can change direction, try new things. Even though the pressure to graduate is intense, it’s still worth taking a few risks – and trying new things always broadens your horizons. And seriously: remember to party! You’ve got to make time for your friends and to celebrate both your successes and your failures.”
Finally, Anttikoski sends her regards: ‘If anyone reading this was a fellow student of mine, I’d like to say thank you! Those were truly amazing and wonderful years in Jyväskylä. The University of Jyväskylä has always had a good reputation: I’m proud to say I studied there."
“Being an alum brings us together – it’s always nice to meet up in this other phase of life. I hope there’s always a moment to have a chat with old friends when we meet.”
