Gabriela Gamero

You really have the opportunity to learn and grow within your role

I am originally from Madrid, Spain, and I moved to Finland in 2020 to pursue my master’s degree. While studying, I wanted to gain work experience, which led me to Kalmar.

I joined Kalmar in May 2022 as an HRD trainee working full-time during the summer. In the fall I continued part-time to fit better with my ongoing master studies. During this time, I had the opportunity to write my thesis for the company and due to the topic of the thesis and Kalmar’s organisational circumstances at that time, I transferred to the newly established sustainability team in January 2023 as a Sustainability trainee. Now, one year later, I am working as a Sustainability Specialist together with an amazing team to make Kalmar the forerunner in sustainable material handling equipment and services.

When looking for a summer traineeship, I found it challenging to find job offers that didn’t require proficiency in Finnish or Swedish. Kalmar’s use of English as the working language and its international environment were key for me. The multiculturality is a reality at Kalmar. For instance, just in our Sustainability team we have six different nationalities in a team of 10 people.

Key Milestones

One of my key milestones was joining the sustainability function. While I enjoyed my time in HR and really appreciate the perspective it gave me, I was very happy to start working on one of my biggest passions, sustainability. Currently I work with human rights, a topic of great importance given Kalmar’s worldwide reach.

Company Culture and Kalmar’s Core Behaviours

I appreciate the lack of strict hierarchy at Kalmar. Regardless of one’s role or position, everyone is always willing to help, mentor, and support you if needed. This culture of openness and support has been very valuable throughout my time at Kalmar.

Kalmar offers considerable flexibility in working hours and locations, which I value greatly. Teams can decide their own way of working, including the number of days worked from home, and there’s flexibility to accommodate personal occasions.

Kalmar core behaviours are very present in our day to day. In the sustainability team, customer focus is evident as we support our customers decarbonise their operations. Innovation and experimentation are daily practices as we seek more sustainable options for our equipment and services. Respecting each other is integral to our way of working. Opinions are always valued, and everyone is encouraged to be their authentic selves.

Tips for New talents

For those starting at Kalmar, I would suggest taking initiative and approaching everyone you encounter at the office. Be curious, experiment and don’t hesitate to ask questions. So much can be learned just by starting a conversation with a colleague, you never know what opportunities you can get from unexpected conversations.