The Journey of Taavi Põri: Leading Azortum to New Heights

Taavi Põri, the CEO of the long-established technology company Azortum, has always caught attention with his inventive solutions to seemingly complex problems.

His interest in breaking old patterns and discovering uncharted paths began at a young age and led him to work in an engine testing lab during his university years.

There, Taavi could experiment with his creativity while learning from others and weighing the pros and cons of different ideas.

A technically gifted individual, Taavi has also dabbled in robotics, helping to design and develop robots.

His endeavours have always been accompanied by optimism and a firm belief that every problem has a solution.

Taavi’s determined and confident attitude has been noticeable from the start.

In 2012, he was recommended for a position as a mechanical engineer at Azortum, then known as Technobalt Eesti OÜ.

Taavi accepted the challenge, and soon he was entrusted with the responsibility of leading the engineering department.

It was a tumultuous and educational time, testing and toughening him up.

Amidst complex challenges, Taavi realized that one must be prepared for anything.

Sometimes workdays extended into the early morning hours, and occasionally he had to familiarize himself with entirely new fields to understand which solutions would work for the project at hand and which would not.

He learned to appreciate details' importance, see the big picture, and connect them.

Having held almost every position at Azortum, Taavi is grateful for the trust placed in him and the rich experience he has gained.

He was allowed to take risks and make mistakes, learning invaluable lessons from them.

This journey has equipped him with a level of expertise that many desire but few possess.

Taavi is a man driven by perfection, overcoming all obstacles because he will not settle for less.

This determination led him to accept the offer to become the CEO of Azortum in 2020.

Thanks to him, Azortum now focuses primarily on waste management technology, an area he believes is crucial but not well understood.

His ambition is to lead Azortum to become a significant competitor and a global leader in waste management technology.

While Azortum already excels in providing quality comprehensive solutions, Taavi’s mission is to develop an innovative and more efficient solution than those currently in use worldwide.

"Our main interest is in the logical sequence. Once the waste is collected and transported to the sorting facility, our focus is on finding solutions to organize the sorting process as efficiently as possible. That’s where I see the most room for innovation, to find new, better solutions," he explains.

As CEO, he is ready to invest time and money to achieve valuable results for the company, people, and the planet, and he expects his team to be equally committed.

For his team, Taavi values a proactive approach and an understanding of the word responsibility.

"It means you can answer. You know what's going on. You have an overview, and you can plan subsequent activities," says Taavi, adding that one must be able to sense the magnitude of responsibility.

Being solution-oriented and having the desire to find solutions even in the most challenging situations are the most valuable qualities a good team member should possess.

Taavi believes that one does not need to memorize all the information, but rather understand where to look for answers and strive to find them.

The competency of the solutions found is crucial.

"To trust someone, there must be competence," he highlights the importance of trust and reliability.

He highly values the ability to analyze, see mistakes, and grasp, adding that success can be measured by how often one has insights.

To enhance perceptiveness, it is important to have a thirst for learning and an interest in life and the surrounding environment, which broadens one's horizons and leads to insights.

So, what kind of leader is Taavi today?

One who says, "There are no unsolvable situations in my world."

He approaches problems and resolves them as well and professionally as possible, without forgetting to maintain a calm demeanour and listen to his team's ideas, knowing that someone’s insight might be the missing piece of the puzzle.

Taavi firmly believes that communication is the golden key that must be used.

Thus, he communicates openly with colleagues and clients and encourages others to do the same.

By doing so, Taavi and Azortum can provide skilful solutions that meet clients’ needs and elevate waste management technology to a higher level both in Estonia and worldwide.