The Further You Go, The More You Grow – My Farewells

This is not the easiest text to write. This is my farewell letter to Asia Exchange as I have known it.

After nearly two decades with Asia Exchange at the very center of my life, I am stepping aside. Not because the journey has lost its meaning — quite the opposite — but because everything in life is temporary and as some journeys are meant to evolve. I feel it’s my time to grow to a new direction.

A personal goodbye — and a heartfelt thank you

Asia Exchange has never been just a company to me. It has been a way of understanding the world, other people, and myself. It has not been merely work or a lifestyle — it, and all its ripple effects, have very much been my life.

On a personal level, through these work travels, I even met my gorgeous wife on a small island in Thailand. As it turned out, she was Finnish — and from the same city as I was. Yet we had to travel to the other side of the world to bump into each other. Later, I realized it was better that way. In my hometown of Tampere, there would have been far more competition than on that quiet beach. Few year later we became also colleagues after Susanne, Tuomas and I co-founded another educational company.

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with hundreds of universities, thousands of colleagues and partners, and  already 12,000 of students who trusted us with one of the most important chapters of their lives.

To every exchanger who crossed borders, cultures, and comfort zones.
To every colleague and intern who poured heart and energy into this mission.
To  partners and universities who believed in us.

Thank you. Truly.

Why Asia Exchange was born

Asia Exchange started with curiosity and excitement of doing things differently.

Back in the mid-2000s, my co-founder and longtime friend Tuomas Kauppinen and I had both studied in Asia. Those experiences changed us profoundly — yet we saw how difficult it was for other students to follow the same path. Opportunities were limited, information scattered, and studying abroad far away felt reserved for the few.

We believed it did not have to be that way, and we decided to build something different. Something student-first. Something that would make studying abroad feel accessible, without losing the magic of stepping into the unknown. We set out to transform freemover mobility from the most laborious and costly way to go abroad into the easiest, fastest, and most secure option — with discounted fees and a unique destination portfolio.

From a small Finnish idea and lifestyle venture, Asia Exchange grew into a global community. We have witnessed countless lives change permanently. We saw students discover confidence they did not know they had. Beyond the classroom, we saw friendships, relationships, and even families begin. Life-changing stuff.

None of this would have happened without our passionate team. I am forever grateful to every past and present team member. New visionaries are now carrying the legacy to new heights.

Eventually, Asia Exchange found a new home at Keystone, allowing the mission to grow far beyond what we could have imagined in those early days. We could not have wished for a better match than Keystone. Together, with 900 colleagues, we can truly make an impact for a better world. Today, we are truly Beyond Abroad. Thank you, Keystone, for welcoming us so warmly.

Stepping aside — but still setting intentions

Now, it is time for me to step aside. I will be cheering from the sidelines, deeply proud of what Asia Exchange is — and what it will become. The next generation of visionaries and changemakers is now steering the course.

As for me, I am once again heading into something unknown. New madventures. Not knowing feels surprisingly liberating.

What I do know is that I have not yet found another industry where the end product can be as genuinely impactful and life-changing as it has been at Asia Exchange — and across our partner companies at Keystone.

Will I find something as meaningful again? I do not know. But perhaps that uncertainty is exactly where curiosity lives. And some quite profound intentions are already taking shape.

Life-changing experiences are worth seeking. They shape who we become. 

Let’s remember to aim for the stars, so we can land at least on Mars. See you around and beyond abroad!

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