Samuel Mäkipää, Onboarding Officer
For Samuel Mäkipää, Onboarding Officer at wamo, an ordinary day in onboarding looks something like this: new applications flood in, existing clients send messages, and sales and management are both waiting for answers. In the middle of it all, his team checks every new customer thoroughly and still gets most accounts open the same day. That balance of speed, care and a personal touch is, as he tells it, a big part of what makes wamo different.
The First Check
When Samuel explains his role to someone who's never worked in onboarding or AML, he keeps it simple. The onboarding team reviews every new application first. Once everything checks out, they open the account and make sure it all works. From there, sales takes over with a welcome call, product questions, POS terminals and the rest of what wamo offers.
Fast, but Never Rushed
Speed is one of the ways wamo stands out, and Samuel's team is where much of it happens. Most applications that arrive before 5 p.m. are handled the same day, which, he adds, is a real difference from a traditional bank.
Ask Samuel what goes on behind a same-day account that customers never see, and he runs through it: who the company is, what it actually does, how it plans to use wamo, and the screening behind all of it. Nothing is skipped to save time. "Even if we're fast and open the account on the same day, we've still done all of those checks. Customers maybe don't even realize how much we actually check."
From a Traditional Bank to wamo
Samuel joined wamo from a large, traditional bank, and one thing stood out: here, speed and thoroughness go hand in hand. The real surprise was the technology. He hadn't expected wamo's systems to be this advanced, and they make a real difference to how the onboarding team works.
A Person Behind Every Application
AML and onboarding can sound rules-heavy from the outside. Samuel sees his team as a bridge between the customer, sales and customer support: firm on the checks, and easy to work with. When something doesn't match, the goal is never to make a client feel accused. "We try to always ask the questions in a nice way and let them answer. We give every client the opportunity to explain."
That instinct comes partly from where he started. Before moving into onboarding and AML, Samuel worked in sales, and he describes the result as a hybrid view: he understands the sales side and the customer support side as well as the compliance one. They try to keep in mind that there's a person behind every application. "We take the time to understand them, while staying true to the rules and the checklists."
What's driven his growth, he says, is simply that he learns fast. In a field where everything changes quickly, that's essential. "There's no time to leave it for tomorrow."
First to See the Growth
Sitting at the very front of the customer journey has an upside. The onboarding team sees wamo's growth before anyone else does. Mornings start with the full list of new applications, sorted by volume and by country, because those clients are waiting. At the end of the day, the team sends out the numbers so everyone can see how many new clients came in. "It's something the whole team looks forward to."
Working across countries adds another layer. EU rules are broadly similar, but every country has its own mix of laws and regulations, and learning those is one of the parts of the job he finds most interesting. Working with people from all over has sharpened his communication skills, along with his feel for different cultures.
Speed, and Now Depth
Onboarding at wamo is evolving, and Samuel thinks the timing is right. The team is going deeper with clients. "Speed isn't the only thing we focus on. We always have to make sure of the quality of our work." He expects the role to grow beyond opening accounts, into keeping customer information up to date as businesses change.
Still Human at Scale
What keeps Samuel at wamo comes down to the culture and the people. The company has grown, but it hasn't lost its personal feel. If he has a problem or an improvement idea, he can take it straight to the C-level, and they listen and check in on how things are going. That direct connection to management is something he values, and so are his colleagues. "The people here are great. That's why I like being here. The culture is still very human, even with our size."
It's the same personal touch he tries to bring to every customer they onboard. Fast, careful, and always with a person in mind.
Beyond the Desk
Outside of work, Samuel recharges by staying active. Running, the gym and time outdoors are his main ways to switch off, whether he's collecting a medal at the Helsinki City Run or spending a quiet day by a lake. Then there's what he calls "the secret element": sauna and swimming, which help him calm down after a full day. "Those things help me wind down from work. I come back with a clearer head and better focus." For a job that depends on both speed and careful attention, that balance makes sense.
If Samuel Were a Superhero
Asked what his superpower would be if he were protecting wamo, he picked invisibility. "I can help the clients without them knowing or seeing it, behind the scenes." It's a fitting choice for someone whose best work is done before a customer's account is even open.
