Legal counsel Ida Berg: The power of law at the heart of the sustainability transition
Ida Berg, legal counsel
Unit and group: Administrative services unit, procurement and legal matters group
Where do you work at? Viikki office in Helsinki and remotely.
Which species would represent you the most? “Mongoose. I explore the laws and documents in my surroundings and quickly tell others if I find anything exciting. I defend my colleagues at Syke against the ‘venomous snakes’ lurking in contracts and other documents. As a child, I was especially fascinated by bugs, but I never put them in my mouth.”
Ida started working as a legal counsel at Syke in autumn 2024 and works in the procurement and legal matters group of the administrative services unit. Her career began at Aalto University, where she worked on energy sector research projects and as a lecturer. Alongside this, she also worked at a startup developing energy storage solutions. Later, before joining Syke, Ida worked for the Energy Authority and the Ministry of Employment and the Economy.
Ida holds a Master of Law degree from the University of Helsinki. She has also enriched her degree with studies in energy technology, economics, and drafting of legislation.
Ida finds her work as a legal counsel at Syke to be pleasantly diverse. "You never know in the morning what exciting things the day will bring," she says. Her work includes reviewing and drafting contracts, procurement law, personal data issues, public access considerations, and supporting legal aspects of public services. "Many assignments can be completed relatively quickly, and it's nice to be able to check things off the list. Others require deeper thinking and offer opportunities to learn something new,” she summarises.
Her mornings typically begin with emails and responding to legal inquiries from Syke employees. Throughout the day, she reviews multiple contracts, drafts amendments, reads research project plans, and assesses potential legal considerations, such as data protection or confidentiality. Her days also include meetings with researchers and colleagues from the legal and procurement group to discuss more complex issues. Ida feels that the tangible result of her work is that projects can be carried out with peace of mind, once the risks are managed and agreements are in place.
“The best part of my job is getting to see the full scope of Syke’s operations and getting acquainted with many Syke employees and research projects,” Ida reflects. Although she has been working at the institute for a year now, Syke's diverse activities constantly bring new things to her table. She appreciates that she doesn’t have to figure everything out alone, support is always available from other Syke employees and lawyers in the research organisation network. “Work is often fun too, which might not be the first thing people expect from a legal counsel’s day.”
Nature and its wellbeing have been important to Ida since childhood. She applied to Syke because she believed she could do meaningful work for the environment. “I feel that Syke’s values align with my own. There probably aren’t many workplaces where ‘the intrinsic value of nature’ is listed as a core value,” she notes. “At Syke, I get to be part of the sustainability transformation and stay up to date with the latest research.”
“I see the sustainability transformation as essential for the survival of our welfare society,” Ida explains. She believes this transformation is reflected in her work in many ways. As a legal counsel, she supports related research projects and public authority tasks. In addition, Syke’s procurements include appropriate environmental criteria, and the environment is taken into account in all of Syke's operations.
Why should people come to work at Syke?
“A legal counsel should apply to Syke if they want to help ensure that the limits of nature’s carrying capacity are respected, both for the wellbeing of future generations and for ecosystems and species themselves. Syke is an inspiring workplace and is definitely worth applying to when a suitable position opens up. Many of us are living our dream jobs here and enjoy working here until retirement age."