Reshaping Visma’s thought leadership

Traditional communications suffers from a lack of trust. Corporate communications are increasingly viewed as a tool for sales and marketing rather than as a trusted source of information. By investing in authenticity and expertise, however, companies can rebuild their audience’s trust: the voice of a genuine expert still stands out. It’s clear and credible. This idea served as the starting point for Visma’s Thought Leadership Innovator program (VAU).

In a crowded field of influence, trust is built between individuals 

Visma is one of Finland’s largest software groups: 15 companies, over 70 products, and around 1,500 experts. The potential to influence and participate in public discussion is immense, but without a coordinated approach, the voices of individual experts risk becoming fragmented and unheard.

To address this, Netprofile designed a program to strengthen Visma’s experts’ ability to operate in the evolving landscape of influence. Its goal is to turn individual expertise into visible, impactful thought leadership in a way that benefits both Visma’s business and the broader national conversation on the economy, technology, and working life.

Building an expert brand requires patience and consistency

The VAU program began with its first group of ten participants in spring 2024, and new cohorts have since been trained twice a year. In practice, the thought leadership program is built around three key elements: joint training sessions, regular and systematic coaching, and the sense of community that develops among the thought leaders themselves.

Each cohort starts off with three intensive training sessions that cover how to stand out in the flood of information, turn one’s expertise into clear and compelling messages, make effective use of social media, and identify the conversations where one’s insights can add genuine value.

After the training sessions, participants move on to putting thought leadership into practice as part of the wider VAU community. They receive peer support from one another and ongoing coaching from Netprofile’s trainers. The sense of community is strengthened in many ways: a dedicated Slack channel serves as an everyday support network, follow-up sessions deepen participants’ skills, and individual coaching helps refine each expert’s unique voice.

Stronger voices, wider impact

The VAU cohorts represent a wide range of thought leadership: participants include software developers, HR professionals, UX designers, and business leaders from across Finland. In practice, Visma has gained dozens of new thought leaders whose combined impact on LinkedIn is significant. Individual participants’ posts have reached thousands of views and sparked dozens of discussions. For many, this has been their first experience of broad visibility.

The media has also taken notice of this new voice. Experts who have taken part in the program have been interviewed by outlets such as Talouselämä, Tivi, and MRKTGN magazine. They have become credible spokespeople who can explain complex topics clearly and convincingly.

Feedback has been exceptional: the program’s Net Promoter Score (NPS) is 93, an unusually high result. This shows that participants feel the program has genuinely transformed the way they communicate and engage with others.

Supporting thought leadership is a strategic investment in the future

For Visma, VAU is not just a training program, it’s a strategic part of communications. The program has reshaped the company’s ways of working so that sharing expertise now feels natural and valuable. At the same time, it has strengthened Visma’s employer brand, giving potential jobseekers a clearer picture of the organization’s competence and openness.

As Visma’s communications leadership has stated: “The authentic voice of our employees is our most powerful channel of influence.” VAU has brought together experts from different Visma companies and created a network that supports one another, breaks down internal barriers, and strengthens the organization’s ability to act even in times of crisis. From the company’s perspective, it is a long-term investment aimed at strengthening the brand, credibility and competitive position.

The communications landscape has changed so rapidly that traditional methods are no longer enough. Our experts are expected to provide quick insights and reliable information. Yet without support, many hesitate to step forward. The VAU program has unlocked a new kind of potential for us to stand out. We now have an amazing group of experts who not only master communication skills but also understand their role as builders of trust. This has been a strategic investment that strengthens both our brand and our competitiveness in the long term.

Anni Santala, PR and Communications Specialist, Visma Finland

Over the years, the collaboration between Visma and Netprofile has been recognized several times at the Finnish Comms Awards. The VAU program also won in the category of building expert visibility in 2025.