Eva-Maria – the artistic scientist

  • Published: 18 July 2024
There aren’t many people who can lead teams as well as our Head of Quality and Product Management Eva-Maria does. She is like that red string on a mystery board connecting all the departments. If you would like to get a little closer to solving the great leadership puzzle that Eva-Maria has mastered, have a look at the following story.

Solving mysteries is nothing new to her as she has been doing that from an early age. During Christmas, Eva-Maria’s favorite holiday, Santa would leave a bag full of gifts somewhere near their house. It was a true adventure with flashlights to search for the gift bag outside in the dark, but it made it all the more thrilling and one of the most memorable experiences of her childhood.

When it came to choosing what to do in the future, her ideas were all over the place. She wanted to become a seamstress, a teacher, an architect, an interior designer, and a fashion designer. It wasn’t until the end of secondary school that Eva-Maria realized science is something she would really like to pursue to support the medical sector while not being on the front line as a doctor.

Eva-Maria working on
her latest art project.
Her choice was influenced by the best biology teacher who made each topic super interesting. She had already been previously interested in anatomy and physiology but did not want to become a doctor. When they reached the topic of genetics at school, she knew this was the thing for her. However, at the time, she didn’t know that it’s also possible to apply this knowledge outside of academia and laboratory.

Doing an internship at Tartu University Hospital was the first time she saw what type of things one could do besides being a scientist at the lab or a professor. But it wasn’t until Solis BioDyne that she got to experience working in the private sector. “I couldn’t imagine at first working here and not doing laboratory work, but I am happy that I got the chance to test the other side of the penny out and wouldn’t change it back for the world,” says Eva-Maria about her job here.

But what does the head of quality and product management do? According to Eva-Maria’s words: “My role is to ensure that our products meet the highest standards of quality and that our product portfolio is competitive. I am at the crossroads of the lab and commercial departments and in my everyday work I bring together the best practices from both worlds in different cross-functional teams. To achieve this goal, I lead a team of quality control experts who develop and refine our quality control systems in the lab. Their efforts are complemented by close collaboration with the production and R&D teams, ensuring that quality is built into every aspect of our products. On the commercial side, I work closely with the sales team to understand our market and their evolving needs for quality parameters. I also manage a team of product management to provide critical support to the sales team, enabling them to deliver exceptional customer experiences and drive growth.”

Eva-Maria travelling.
She likes that Solis BioDyne is in a field that is rapidly changing, and we get to be here when new methods, applications, etc. enter the market. The supportive and kind-hearted team is not a bad bonus either. One of the biggest challenges Eva-Maria had to face was to build a team from scratch. Once it was done, she saw how great everyone in the team fit each other and was working together, which made it the best feeling and team experience for her so far.

Another great experience was working on a project in Sweden. She went there with a group of 5 colleagues and worked very hard, with occasional night shifts and all. The laboratory manager at the time and Eva-Maria decided that the team had worked very hard, and they would like to surprise them with something great. Ultimately, they had our Tartu production team come for a study trip to Sweden and meet everyone on the final day. Even though Eva-Maria knew about the surprise it was so great to see everyone. And to see the look on her fellow team members when they saw the others - heart-warming and priceless! This is what motivates her the most - the people around her, when she does the things she loves and feels appreciated and loved.

Discovering new hiking trails.
Outside of work, Eva-Maria likes to go for a walk with her dog and discover new hiking trails. She loves traveling and good food. Also, ceramics and painting.

Her biggest challenge has been to really get to know herself. What she likes and doesn’t, who she wants to be, and why. What are her aspirations, and dreams, how/what she wishes to contribute to this world. How to be able to give a part of herself to others and not to lose herself in the process. She has worked hard on this challenge, so her biggest achievement has been getting to know herself and how to put herself first and be happy, so that she could be there for others as well. Eva-Maria has dreamed big career-wise but also in personal life and has achieved many of these dreams already.

In the future, she would like to keep working toward her dreams and build a life that she loves. Professionally she feels that there is still a lot to discover and learn, so the same applies here as well.

Finally, for anyone looking for good life advice, Eva-Maria has three points to share:
  1. Dream big and believe in yourself, the only boundaries are the ones we set in our minds that will hold us down. And remember to put yourself first – no one else can make your dreams happen for you and if you are happy and at peace, you have all the world in front of you to work with.
  2. Don’t forget that dreams come true in the present – if you really want something then work for it with passion and the universe will guide and help you achieve them sooner or later.
  3. Life is so much easier and fun if you find “your people” who will love, hold, and support each other no matter what.