“Well, cooperatives weren’t my field either,” remarked Sami Karhu, at the end of a difficult university course. The complexities of the cooperative system had felt challenging, and he was irked by the poor grade he had received. Nevertheless, after working in temporary positions in public administration, Karhu accepted the post of researcher in a historical project connected with cooperatives, and there began a long career which led all the way to the position of Managing Director of the Pellervo Society.
Born April 10, 1965, Lahti
Master of Arts 1991 and Licentiate 1996 (Finnish History), University of Helsinki
Managing Director 2012–, Director of Cooperative Services 2003–11, Public Relations and Organisation Manager 2000–03, Historian 1995–99, Pellervo Society
Photo: Matti Ketola
Written by Suvi Uotinen
Translated by Matthew Billington
Sami Karhu has been the Managing Director of the Pellervo Society since 2012. “The Pellervo Society is a think tank focusing on cooperative services,” Karhu says. “We lead development programmes, act as a partnership network, and attempt to find all possible collaborators with whom we can develop this business model.”
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By the time Sami Karhu was named Managing Director of the Pellervo Society in 2012, he was already intimately familiar with the position through several roles spanning almost 20 years.
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Sami Karhu began studying history at the University of Helsinki in 1985. “Being accepted to study at the University of Helsinki was a great feeling. I had been very interested in social issues. We always watched the 9 o’clock news at home, and it made me wonder what was really going on in the world. The Cold War was still a big deal. In my matriculation examination I only answered the history questions.”
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