​At Professio’s Strategy Talk CFO 2025 at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, veteran executive and LUT emeritus professor Anssi Vanjoki argued that constant renewal is the core duty of leadership. 

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Vanjoki argued that a top executive’s most important task is ensuring continual renewal. Core operations can be run with established metrics, but the future demands different approaches. He highlighted resource fluidity — keeping capital, talent and assets redeployable — as a way to prepare for unexpected shifts. 

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Renewal, he said, requires a portfolio approach: R&D and product development, internal venture units, partnerships with startups, and acquisitions. He also distinguished between convergent creativity (efficiency improvements) and divergent creativity (changing the offering and how customers are served). Over-investing in efficiency while neglecting new offerings is a recipe for decline. 

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Balancing risk and timing 

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The right moment for renewal is when things are going well, not in crisis. Downturn-driven innovation is expensive, because crises deplete the very resources innovation requires. Vanjoki cautioned against “all-in” bets from a position of weakness but warned that the greatest risk is doing nothing. 

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Strategy depends on context. A large leader in a dynamic market can set the pace — and imitate challengers when useful. Smaller players should avoid copying giants and instead exploit niches. In less dynamic sectors, capital markets and new entrants often drive renewal, forcing incumbents to react. 

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From market position to AI 

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Vanjoki pointed to digitalization and AI as accelerators of change across industries. He urged CFOs to test AI with their own data to surface new options and stress-test assumptions. 

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Measuring renewal, he added, requires its own scorecard: track activities first, then customer impact, and only later financial outcomes. Outside-in benchmarking against peers is essential to keep pace. Finally, finance must work with HR to staff renewal with people capable of creative problem-solving. “AI can amplify, but only people create,” he said. 

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Watch the full keynote here: