Owners

SYK is owned by the nine Finnish universities outside the Greater Helsinki region (University of Eastern Finland, University of Jyväskylä, University of Oulu, University of Lapland, Tampere University, University of Turku, University of Vaasa, Åbo Akademi University and Lappeenranta University of Technology) and the Finnish government, represented by Senate Properties Ltd.

In addition to being the company’s owners, the universities are its customers. In 2020, cooperation with the owners was close, starting with the first ownership meeting held in February and ending with strategy workshops held during the autumn. In addition to discussions in the owner meetings, SYK’s owners exert their influence at the General Meeting and appoint the Board of Directors. The owners are influential organisations in their respective regions, giving SYK significant regional influence. An owner portal implemented in the Microsoft Teams environment was introduced to improve the flow of information between the owners and SYK.

Customers

SYK’s business is based on leasing premises to our customers. Our main customers are universities outside the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, which at the same time are also owners of SYK. In addition to universities, universities of applied sciences, public sector entities and companies operate at our campuses.

The use of premises by universities is developing, as a result of which premises are also released at the campuses for other users. To maintain the desired occupancy rate and enable the versatile use of premises, our customer base has also expanded to include operators other than universities. We expect that the trend in the universities’ use of premises will also continue in the coming years. The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the use of premises remains to be assessed.

Customer relationship management is a strategically important aspect of our operations. As a result of SYK’s organisational reform, we are investing more heavily in customer relationships, the development of customer relationship management and providing a uniform service experience. With the customer relationships business, we aim to ensure that we correctly understand the campus requirements and spatial needs of each customer, and that the customers have at their disposal a campus, premises and services that meet their needs. We support the success of our customers by developing our properties into attractive campuses.

Memberships in organisations

University Properties of Finland Ltd is a member of Real Estate Employers. Real Estate Employers is an advocacy organisation representing employers in the Finnish real estate and facility services sector. SYK is also a member of the Finnish Association of Building Owners and Construction Clients (RAKLI) and the FIBS corporate responsibility network. RAKLI brings together responsible professionals in the real estate and construction sector, and disseminates information about these sectors. In turn, FIBS is Finland’s leading booster of sustainable business and a developer of expertise in companies. Of the localities where we have campuses, SYK is a member of the Chambers of Commerce of Oulu and Tampere.

Communication with stakeholders

We engaged in close cooperation and dialogue with owners, partners, influential parties and decision makers in 2020 despite the coronavirus pandemic. New ways of organising meetings and joint discussions were fully implemented in stakeholder cooperation

Our communication channels include websites, social media channels, owner portal, personal multi-location meetings and information events at our campus locations. We also aim to engage in close cooperation in the area of communication with our partners and the media.

Stakeholder map