“I think I received the inspiration from my family, as my father is involved in the electrical field and that’s probably why it started to interest me. Even though I was not a big dreamer as a child and probably did not dream of the work I do today, the field is very good and I am really satisfied here,” describes Rait Kangro, who is currently working as the Head of Sales and Marketing of Harju Elekter Estonia.
Rait previously worked as a sales engineer in a small company. “At some point, I started to think about taking on the next challenge,” says Rait. At exactly the right moment, he received a call with the proposition to come to Harju Elekter as a sales manager for low-voltage products. After a round of interviews, he accepted the offer. While talking about it, Rait also recalls his student years at TalTech, when he went on an excursion to the Harju Elekter production as part of his studies: “As a student, I had briefly heard about the company and had also seen Harju Elekter’s products on the street, but at that time I would not have thought that my career path would really lead here.”
“In the role of sales manager, I primarily dealt with Finnish, Swedish and Estonian customers. I gradually settled in and tried to participate in as many activities as possible to obtain a more complete picture of the company. For example, I signed up as an internal auditor, a role in which I was able to examine various company processes as part of the internal audit,” describes Rait. Today, he is working as a Head of Sales and Marketing of Harju Elekter’s factories in Estonia. He has a dream team who helps him to accomplish great things. “Yes, 4 years in Harju Elekter does not sound like much, but time has gone incredibly fast and so much has happened. There are always many changes in a developing company, but I’m not against changes!”, says Rait enthusiastically.
Rait has a lot to say when he is asked why he chose Harju Elekter as an employer. “Harju Elekter is a people’s company. We have an incredibly strong team of people who are very helpful and friendly and stick together. When I first joined the team, I received a very warm welcome which has been preserved to this day,” he says. “I came from a small company with seven employees, whereas in Harju Elekter Estonia there are almost three hundred. At first, I assumed that the pyramid was in place, but I was wrong. In fact, the organisation works laterally and there is no redundant bureaucracy,” Rait describes. In addition, as an engineer-minded person, he likes that Harju Elekter is a production company. “We work with physical products, so everything that a salesperson sells and that an engineer designs, can be touched.”
Rait adds that Harju Elekter has a sufficiently flexible atmosphere in terms of career path. “The field of activity is large and there are enough challenges. Even if you are employed in one position, the tasks arising from the role may not always be set in stone. There are always career opportunities for good people and we have several stories where employees have been able to shape their role within the company or move to a different position,” says Rait about the opportunities, which have also been confirmed by his own experiences.
He does not deny that there have been slip-ups and obstacles alongside his career development and successes during the years of work. “However, if you do not have experience in certain topics, the support system is always there. People around will help and support you to find solutions. In addition, we do not make any product as an individual, but rather as a team. That’s why I always encourage my colleagues to voice their concerns. No one is alone with their concerns – together we can find solutions,” he explains.
„We do not make any product as a solo, but as a team. That’s why I always encourage my colleagues to talk about their concerns. There is no one alone with their concerns – together we can find solutions.”
„We do not make any product as a solo, but as a team. That’s why I always encourage my colleagues to talk about their concerns. There is no one alone with their concerns – together we can find solutions.“
To Harju Elekter’s new tagline “Electrifying Tomorrow”, Rait says that he is happy about the message: “We are strong in our field, we invest in sustainable solutions and we keep up with time and technology. The forward-looking tagline describes very well the activities we are already doing today and the values we live by at Harju Elekter.”
„The forward-looking tagline descirbes very well the activites we are already doing today and the values we live by at Harju Elekter.”
Rait adds that the forward-looking tagline is versatile: “Firstly, all new procurements and requirements arising from the field of electricity are today in the place where we must to go along with sustainability topic, there is no other option. On the other hand, it describes our contribution to the next generation – how we cultivate technical interest in young people and involve talented engineers in Harju Elekter.”
