Joel Olsson Gulin - Sourcing Specialist, Wholesale Assortment team
What do you do at Oriola?
I am a Sourcing Specialist in the Wholesale Assortment team at Oriola.
The main focus for the soucing team is to develop Oriola's product portfolio to enable a wholesale offering of a wide range of health and wellbeing products to customers in Finland and Sweden, based on market and consumer needs. This includes for example skincare, haircare, vitamins and supplements, as well as various self-care and animal health products.
Describe your role—what does it mean?
As a Sourcing Specialist, I manage the revision window process—a challenging but exciting task where thousands of product changes must be coordinated smoothly and accurately.
We make sure that the process of gathering and consolidating information and masterdata regarding each revision window, is handled and shared in a correct and professional manner. This involves a lot of contact with both suppliers and customers, as well as making sure the information reaches the correct department at the right time internally at Oriola.
Every challenge is an opportunity to grow, utilise my problem-solving skills, and explore new possibilities to create a meaningful impact.
What's your background—educational and professional?
I’ve had a diverse career journey. After studying music in upper secondary school (Gymnasieskolan), I had various jobs, including construction work, sound engineering, and as a salesperson in an antique bookstore. Along the way, I discovered a deep interest in science, primarily mathematics and astronomy, which I studied further. This curiosity and passion for problem-solving have been invaluable in my current role.
I joined Oriola as a warehouse worker 11 years ago and quickly moved into team leader roles, managing operations in areas like regulated pharmaceuticals and purchasing. These roles taught me leadership, process development, and problem-solving, all of which prepared me for my current role. I was actually the first one to join the Assortment team at the time it was established. Since then, I’ve also contributed to strategic initiatives like the ongoing renewal of Oriola’s ERP and warehouse management system, focusing on the Assortment perspective.
What's the best part of your job?
The best thing about my job is the opportunity to utilise my abilities as a problem solver—to explore, investigate, and find solutions for processes that need updating. I also value the fact that I’m always able to challenge and develop myself and, in turn, develop and refine the processes that define my job.
My colleagues have always been a positive factor for me, both in the past and continuing to be so today. I could not have got where I am without them!
And finally, when you are not working, what do you like to do?
Since I have a family including three beautiful daughters, most of my time is, of course, spent on normal family activities. However, I do manage to find time for myself as well, which I encourage others to prioritise.
If you ask my wife, she would probably say that I have a few too many hobbies, but to name a few: mathematics and astronomy are, of course, at the top of my list, and I spend a lot of time with my telescope. Other than that, I have a soft spot for creating things, which includes building guitars and fixing old and broken items such as pocket watches or power tools. My current project is to build a chessboard along with all the pieces out of wood, as I’ve recently developed a great interest in the game itself.