Building a Winning Tech Team: Insights from Pete Nieminen, CIO of Kempower
From an accidental step into cybersecurity to leading IT at Kempower
Some career paths are meticulously planned. Others, like Pete Nieminen’s, take unexpected turns.
Early in his career at IBM, Pete agreed to join what he thought was a virtual future team initiative, when in fact, he was signing up to be in one of Europe’s first information security teams. That mix-up shaped his entire trajectory, launching him into the world of cybersecurity. He soon realised he was drawn not only to developing IT services but also to the strategic side of leveraging technology for business impact.
That curiosity and adaptability propelled him into CIO roles across IT-heavy enterprises and non-IT industries alike, refining his expertise in scaling IT, governance, and cybersecurity. When Kempower, a fast-growing EV charging company, came knocking, the opportunity was too compelling to pass up.
“When I applied, Kempower had about 100 employees. By the time I started, there were 190. And soon after, we were adding dozens of new hires every week. I knew I was stepping into something big,” Pete recalls.
In this March’s Financial Times ranking, Kempower was recognised as the 8th fastest-growing company in the world and the #1 in the Nordics. Scaling an IT organization in such a high-growth environment presents unique challenges, ones that Pete has tackled head-on.
Scaling IT in a Hyper-Growth Company
When Pete arrived, Kempower had no formal IT governance model. Like many startups, things had grown organically, with different teams bringing in the tools and processes they were familiar with.
"At first, there was hesitation. Some people were worried I’d introduce too much bureaucracy,” Pete admits. “We couldn’t even use the term enterprise architecture—it was almost a dirty word.”
Instead, he approached governance practically, not bureaucratically, creating a model that scaled up and down with the company’s needs. Kempower adopted a federated IT operations model, balancing global governance with local decision-making.
Kempower’s IT Governance Framework
Demands and requirements management – Capturing and evaluating ideas, improvements, business needs, and architectural changes.
Evaluation, prioritisation, acceptance – Aligning IT investments with business goals and ensuring efficient resource use.
Developing capabilities – Structuring development projects, solution enhancements, and service changes to maximise impact.
Delivering services – Ensuring standardised and consistent IT service delivery.
Over time, the IT and development teams, which had once operated in silos, started collaborating more closely. Instead of developers focusing only on code while IT handled hardware and tools, they aligned under a shared strategy. The results? A more streamlined, efficient operation that could scale without chaos.
"At our peak, we were managing over 200 concurrent IT projects," Pete notes. “We had to ensure every decision served a business purpose. If it didn’t, we didn’t do it.”
Kempower’s Cloud-Only, Cybersecurity Strategy
With hyper-growth comes complexity, and Kempower needed a scalable, secure, and adaptable tech infrastructure. Pete spearheaded a cloud-native approach, balancing speed, security, and efficiency.
“We’ve been fully cloud-native from the start, built on AWS and Azure. But technology alone isn’t enough. Execution is what really matters,” he says.
Under Pete’s leadership, Kempower has built a resilient security framework that ensures compliance while keeping up with global threat landscapes.
ISO 27000 & PCI Compliance – Kempower maintains the best-in-class security certifications.
Automated security policies – Cloud-native security configurations keep systems secure by default.
Global threat monitoring – Real-time oversight helps detect and mitigate cyber risks before they escalate.
Annual security training & testing – Employees undergo regular security awareness training and phishing simulations.
“We train our teams regularly, test security controls, and review risks at the board level every year,” Pete explains. “Security isn’t something you ‘set and forget.’ It has to be embedded into the company’s DNA.”
Hiring for Culture, Not Just Technical Skills.
As Kempower scaled, the challenge wasn’t just hiring more people, it was hiring the right people.
“We don’t hire purely for technical skills,” Pete says. “We prioritise cultural fit, adaptability, and willingness to learn. I’d rather hire someone with the right mindset who’s eager to grow than someone with a perfect CV but no drive to evolve.”
One example? Tero Vuori. Originally brought in as a project manager, Tero excelled in delivering key initiatives. Recognising his potential, Pete encouraged him to take on a cybersecurity leadership role, a move that proved incredibly successful.
“Sometimes people need a bit of a push to take the next step and realise their potential, it’s up to leaders to recognise it and give them the opportunity to step up,” Pete explains.
At Kempower, recruitment has also been highly network-driven. “We have hired very few employees through a job ad,” Pete reveals. “Most hires have come from referrals, our partner network, or targeted outreach.”
Building a strong team in a hyper-growth environment requires the right talent at the right time. Partnering with specialised recruitment firms, like Finders Seekers, has helped Kempower IM scale efficiently.
Copy Pete’s formula for building a winning team:
Empower employees
Recognise transferable skills
Measure impact over hours
Encourage open communication
The Future: Scaling Sustainably & Leading with Simplicity
Looking ahead, Pete’s focus remains on scaling Kempower’s IT operations without unnecessary complexity.
"We’re not here to build IT for IT’s sake," he says. “Everything we do must serve the business, support growth, and create value."
For CTOs and IT leaders navigating hyper-growth, Pete’s advice is simple:
"Avoid unnecessary complexity. If something doesn’t serve a clear business purpose, don’t do it."
What’s your take on Kempower’s IT strategy? How do you balance growth, innovation, and security in your tech teams? Let’s keep the discussion going, connect with Pete Nieminen on LinkedIn and tag us!