Meet The EMBA Class Of Entrepreneurs: Executives Today, Founders Tomorrow 

Dr Heidi Hiitiö
Aalto EE 

Venture name: WANNI Consulting; Pinehill Goblin
Date of founding: 2024; 2026
Program: Aalto Executive MBA 

Tell us about your career background:  Most people don’t expect a veterinarian to talk about corporate strategy, organizational leadership and financial modelling. For me, they’ve always been part of the same conversation: better decisions lead to healthier systems—whether you’re managing a business or a dairy herd. 

I have spent more than two decades working at the intersection of animal health, business and leadership. My career has taken me from clinical veterinary medicine and dairy herd health to executive leadership, strategic development and entrepreneurship. Across these roles, I have learned that sustainable success is rarely about solving one isolated problem. It comes from understanding the whole system—people, processes, economics and leadership—and making decisions that create long-term value. 

Today, I combine veterinary expertise with business strategy, helping organizations and agricultural businesses build healthier, more resilient operations. 

What is your business/venture?  I lead two complementary businesses, both built on the belief that better leadership leads to better outcomes. 

WANNI Consulting works with organizations and leaders on strategy, leadership development, organizational change and sustainable growth. I help businesses navigate complexity, strengthen decision-making and build organizations where both people and performance can thrive. 

Pinehill Goblin, founded in 2024, brings together my veterinary expertise and business background to support dairy producers and agricultural businesses. I help clients improve herd health, productivity and profitability through evidence-based consulting, economic modelling and strategic planning. My work also includes keynote speaking on leadership, animal health and the economics of sustainable production. 

What inspired you to found this business?  Throughout my career, I kept seeing the same pattern: highly capable professionals were making difficult decisions without the strategic support or leadership tools they needed. 

I wanted to build businesses that bridge those gaps. WANNI Consulting helps leaders create organizations that are stronger, healthier and better prepared for change. Pinehill Goblin applies the same systems thinking to agriculture, where animal health, leadership and business performance are deeply interconnected. 

My philosophy is simple: I don’t just want to treat problems—I want to build healthier systems that prevent them. 

Why did you enrol on the EMBA? Running your own business is an incredible learning experience, but it can also become an echo chamber. I wanted to challenge my thinking, strengthen my strategic capabilities and learn alongside experienced leaders from industries very different from my own. 

The EMBA offered exactly that: an opportunity to step away from day-to-day operations and think more deliberately about long-term value creation, leadership and growth. 

How was the EMBA helped you/your business? The EMBA has given me a much stronger strategic lens. It has helped me become more disciplined in evaluating opportunities, prioritizing investments and making decisions that support sustainable growth rather than short-term gains. 

Perhaps the biggest lesson has been learning to connect different perspectives. Finance, leadership, operations and strategy cannot be treated separately. The programme reinforced the importance of systems thinking, which has become central to both of my businesses. 

 What’s the one thing about the EMBA that you think is undervalued? The conversations. The curriculum is excellent, but some of the most valuable learning happens outside the classroom. Being surrounded by experienced executives and entrepreneurs from different industries constantly challenges your assumptions. Those discussions have broadened my thinking far beyond my own sector and continue to influence how I lead my businesses today. 

What’s next for your business? Both businesses are entering their next stage of growth. For WANNI Consulting, my focus is on helping organizations build stronger leadership capabilities and navigate transformation in an increasingly complex business environment. 

For Pinehill Goblin, I want to advance preventive herd health and support dairy producers in making better decisions by combining veterinary science, economics and strategic management. I also plan to expand my educational work through keynote speaking and executive education, bringing these disciplines together for wider audiences. 

Would you recommend the EMBA to other entrepreneurs? If yes, why? Without hesitation. Entrepreneurs often believe they need more knowledge, but what they really need is better judgement. The EMBA doesn’t simply provide new tools—it changes the way you think. It teaches you to connect strategy, finance, leadership and operations into a coherent whole, making you a better decision-maker in uncertain environments. 

For founders, that shift in perspective is invaluable. It not only helps you build a stronger business—it helps you become a stronger leader. 

 NEXT PAGE: Eric Houdet, INSEAD

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