Let’s get to know another fairowner: Annelise, our Product Owner. Annelise has one of the longest track records of working at Fairown. She’s been crucial in onboarding our Scandinavian customers and launching new products for them, for example, STIHL and Komplett. Annelise is a true proponent of sustainability and hopes that we have managed to onboard more retailers and brands to the circular economy to reduce waste.
Tell us about your professional background.
I have been working at different companies in various roles that have all helped me in one way or another with my work at Fairown. When I graduated from high school, I started working as a Customer Support and Loan Manager at a consumer finance company where I was responsible for our Swedish customers. After working there for a year, I got a job offer at an Estonian construction design company where I worked for several years as a Marketing Specialist. Again, I was responsible for the Swedish market. Then I moved to Stockholm and continued working in different positions related to sales, marketing, and project coordination.
Why did you choose Fairown, what stood out for you?
I wanted to learn something new and was in the middle of my Master’s studies in Analysis and Design of Information Systems. I was looking for a job related to what I was studying, and Fairown offered me a position where I could use both my previous work experience, as well as the knowledge I had learned in school.
You’ve been a team member for 3 years already. How has the working environment changed while Fairown has been growing?
When I joined Fairown, we had onboarded only one customer in Sweden. I joined on the day when the second concept was launched, and this time in Denmark. There were only three of us working with these customers. Now we have launched several projects in eight different countries across Europe, and the team has grown to about 30 people.
What have been your most interesting projects at Fairown?
Launching the first B2B solution comes to mind. I was responsible for analysing and launching everything from scratch and got to analyse the entire customer journey, bank integrations, etc. I have now moved over to renewal topics that are also extremely interesting.
You are the owner of our Chief Happiness Officer, Ellie. Introduce her and tell us about her favourite activities in the office.
Ellie is a Swedish lapphund whose favourite thing in the world is snow. Her favourite activities in the office are receiving belly rubs and cuddles, attending meetings (sometimes even without me), and chasing balls. Her favourite topics to discuss are barketing, pawstistics, and pawments.
Name some fun facts about yourself that we can’t find on your CV or social profile.
I will probably become a crazy plant lady (besides being a crazy dog lady) and I’m learning how to kill less plants at home. The good news is that I have been able to keep more and more plants alive.
I studied piano for a year when I was about 8 years old. I discovered piano again at the end of last year and started to learn more on Youtube.
I became a vegetarian after I saw the Estonian TV show Ringvaade where they showed for just a couple of minutes how little pigs were playing with toys in the barn. So, no ugly documentaries for me, just little pigs playing with toys.
I love nature and I just HAVE to see mountains at least once a year. Unfortunately, we don’t have any real mountains in Estonia, so I have to travel somewhere. Luckily, I love travelling. :)
What drives and inspires you the most in your daily work?
I love how I’m learning something new every day and have such a big variety of assignments. Fairown always takes employees' wishes into consideration, so I can take on new assignments and develop my skills.
Where do you see yourself and Fairown in a couple of years?
I would love to see Fairown becoming the next unicorn. I’m looking forward to being part of and contributing to that. As it is currently expected that the electronic waste will reach 74 million tonnes a year by 2030, I hope that we have managed to onboard more retailers and brands to the circular economy and helped reduce the amount of electronic waste at least a little bit.
Stay tuned for more stories and insights into the life of fairowners! Don’t forget to check out our most recent interviews with Iwona, Toomas, Luise, and other superb teammates.
If you’re interested in building a more sustainable future with us, check out our open jobs.