Tiina Liipo - Category Manager, Special Licensed Medicines
What do you do at Oriola?
I'm the Category Manager for our Special Licensed Medicines.
Special Licensed Medicines is a pharmaceutical logistics and sourcing service that ensures patients can continue their treatments, even when licensed medicines are unavailable due to sudden shortages, stockouts or specific patient needs.
Thanks to our expertise and extensive international supplier network, we source and import these critical medicines quickly and reliably for customers in Finland and Sweden.
The best part of my job is knowing that we help patients access the essential medicines they need - often in challenging situations when the medication is not readily available.
Describe your role—what does it mean?
As the head of the Special Licensed Medicines team, my role is to empower my team to excel in their work, ensuring that patients receive the special licensed medicines they need.
A typical work day for me includes meetings with both internal and external stakeholders to align on goals and ensure progress on ongoing cases, working closely with my team to improve our working processes, as well as keep track of the KPIs that support our work.
What's your background—educational and professional?
I’m a Specialist Pharmacist in Industrial Pharmacy (BSc Pharm). Currently, I’m pursuing an MBA in Sales Management at Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK).
I joined Oriola in 2016, and I have now spent more than eight years working with special licensed medicines, growing professionally in different roles including product manager, key account manager, and now as category manager.
What's the best part of your job?
The best part of my job is helping patients access the essential medicines they need—especially in challenging situations where the medication is not readily available. Oriola's purpose Health for life in action! The close collaboration with my team and stakeholders makes the work meaningful and rewarding as we see tangible results that benefit patients.
And finally, when you are not working, what do you like to do?
I love spending time with my family and our pets, and currently, my MBA studies take up a lot of my spare time as well. I also enjoy playing golf during summer and 'Catch´n serve ball' during the rest of the year.