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Mariana Salgado, originally from Argentina, first ended up in Finland as an exchange student 25 years ago. Salgado studied industrial design at the University of Buenos Aires, which collaborated with the then University of Art and Design Helsinki.

The exchange studies first turned into master's studies and then into a doctoral thesis project. She defended her doctoral thesis in 2009, just before the School of Art and Design Helsinki became part of Aalto University.

'I have always wanted to create new things and enhance everyday life. I admired Nordic design and believed the education would be of high quality. At that time, there were also excellent benefits and free education available for master's students coming from outside the EU', Salgado recalls her reasons for choosing to come to Finland.  

It is not unique that the reasons for staying in Finland have also been influenced by reasons for private life. The Finnish boyfriend is now a long-term husband, and the couple's children have grown up. 

In Finland, Salgado's studies included a lot of participatory design and the design of digital services. These themes were also dealt with in her doctoral dissertation Designing for an Open Museum, and this is how she has ended up as a service designer in her career. 

Salgado's current job is in the EU's research infrastructure consortium ICOS. The Integrated Carbon Observation System is responsible for the uniform measurement of greenhouse. The system includes close to 180 measuring stations in 16 member countries and its headquarters are located in Helsinki. The stations observe greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere as well as carbon fluxes between the atmosphere, the land surface and the oceans. 

'I work in various EU projects in multidisciplinary groups, often with natural scientists. For example, we are thinking about how to design the future services in relation to the carbon sequestration directive.'

Career began with a doctoral thesis project

Salgado has slipped into Finnish working life effortlessly. This was helped by the fact that the doctoral thesis project also offered her a job at the School of Art and Design Helsinki. A Finnish doctoral degree and a few years of work experience then opened the next doors.

'I've never had employment problems in Finland. I've only been unemployed when I've wanted to look for something new in my career. But I'm sure I would have had even more career opportunities if I had been a native Finnish man.'

Prior to ICOS, Salgado has worked at the Finnish Immigration Service and in the Department of Immigration in the Ministry of the Interior in service design and as the head of the MBA programme at Laurea University of Applied Sciences. She has learned Finnish well enough to use it effortlessly in her work.

According to Salgado, mastering the Finnish language was a big job and super difficult, but she recommends the same to other foreigners who want to stay in Finland to work after their studies.

'Knowing Finnish opens the opportunity to work in the public sector. Language skills also introduce you to culture and society, if you don't want to live only in your own bubble. For example, it is difficult to talk to children and the elderly in anything other than Finnish.'

Another piece of Salgado's career advice is that you should get involved in professional communities in your field. 

'In communities, you develop your own skills, learn what kind of work other people in the industry do and network. Personally, I have ended up in some jobs where the network gives me a tip about an open position.'

Work in the public sector is impactful

Salgado herself is active in the community of designers in the public sector: Government Design Finland Her activity has also been noted at Aalto ARTS, which named her the Alumni of the Year 2024.

According to Salgado, working in the public sector is motivating and makes a real difference.

'In Finland, there are many service design experts in the public sector, but they may remain a bit hidden if their title is, for example, project manager or expert. As a network we also collaborate internationally and learn from colleagues in the UK and Estonia.'

It is important for them to learn to understand the field in which they are using their service design expertise at any given time.

'We service designers are experts in participatory methods, not the substance.  However, I have wanted to work within the organization and not as a consultant, because I believe I can do my job better if I have the possibility to learn more about the subject.'

For example, at the Finnish Immigration Service, Salgado worked in the Design and Innovation Laboratory, Inland Design, in which one of her main tasks was to improve customer service.

'At the outset, the Finnish Immigration Service was only able to answer 24 per cent of customer calls, but after the introduction of a chatbot and other interventions, the response rate rose up to 74 per cent. The project also included internal training, where 24 employees were trained to become service design ambassadors that could use the use the approaches of service design.'

Salgado also has an international impact through her podcast Diseño y Diaspora, which is the most listened podcast in the design industry in Spanish speaking countries, and the second most listened in Finland. Salgado has produced more than 600 episodes in Spanish, Portuguese or English. She collaborates with several universities that use her podcast in teaching.

'Through the podcast, I can promote Finnish design to new audiences and strengthen the voice of designers with a foreign background living in Finland. Since I no longer work in my native language, I can tell my former home region what I am up to.'

Text: Heidi Hammarsten