Employer Brand in Transition – Kumppania Strengthening Samlink’s Identity in a Global Corporation

When Samlink became part of Kyndryl, a leading provider of mission-critical enterprise technology services, in 2022, employer branding gained a new level of importance. Internationalization created new opportunities, but it also challenged Samlink’s own identity. It was essential to ensure that the change would not dilute what makes Samlink unique.

The transition was not easy at first. Some employees questioned what Samlink’s own voice means inside a global corporation and how it should be visible in daily work. This discussion was necessary. Without it, the foundation of the employer brand would have remained weak.

Recruitment Communication Model and Role Personas

The work was carried out on three levels. First, a unified recruitment communication model was built. It was based on the views of managers and employees. Role personas, defined tones of voice and shared job advertisement templates made recruitment communication clear, repeatable and internationally consistent. This ensured that Samlink’s message remains recognizable also in a global recruitment context.

Making Culture Visible with Profile Bank

Internal identity was strengthened through the Profile Bank concept. Every Samlink employee created a personal competence profile. This made expertise visible and supported collaboration within the group. At the same time, it reinforced the feeling that everyone has a clear role and value in the bigger whole.

Data and Engagement Confirm the Direction

Visibility was built through people-driven content. Samlink’s experts, career paths and stories were highlighted across channels.

The data showed clear results. These contents attracted the most interest. Career stories and expert profiles gained high view numbers. On social media, posts related to employees generated exceptionally strong engagement.

This was a clear signal that Samlink’s culture resonates widely.

“I would recommend Kumppania to any company that wants to build culture instead of running separate projects. The depth and consistency of their work exceeds expectations every time.”

Employer Brand Is Built on Culture

Samlink’s employer brand has strengthened during the transformation. Internationality is now seen as an opportunity. The company’s identity has become clearer and aligns both with the expectations of a global corporation and with Finnish working culture.

Kumppania has supported this journey step by step and made visible what is essential in Samlink.

Sirpa Auervirta, Head of Communications, Marketing and ESG at Samlink, explains: “Putting culture into words was not simple. There was a lot of tacit knowledge in Samlink. Kumppania is able to articulate culture in a way where the invisible becomes visible. They describe what people experience but find difficult to express. I would recommend Kumppania to all companies that want to build culture instead of focusing on individual projects. The depth and consistency of Kumppania’s work exceeds expectations every time.”

The Samlink case shows that employer branding is not created with slogans. It is built on how well the organization understands its culture and how consistently it leads that culture during change. When this work is done carefully, the result is an identity that lasts and attracts the right professionals.

Read more about the collaboration between Kumppania and Samlink, including global communications and marketing as well as concept-driven events.