'We’re Not Just Here to Do Your Expenses': AMV BBDO’s Mikko Hautanen on the Fun Side of Finance

There’s nothing grey about Mikko Hautanen’s corner of AMV BBDO. The Finnish-born finance director is on a quiet mission to upend every cliché about the bean-counting bore. Friendly, funny and more fluent in creative culture than most, he’s proof that finance and imagination don’t have to live on opposite sides of the floorplan.

Hautanen’s route into advertising wasn’t exactly plotted on a spreadsheet either. Growing up in Finland, he was transfixed by a TV show that crowned the country’s best advert each month. “I remember being completely captivated,” he says - a sign, perhaps, that advertising was always going to find him eventually. His parents had other plans, steering him towards business school (“History or geography wasn’t an option”), where he discovered a surprising passion for accounting. After cutting his teeth at Ernst & Young with telecoms and media clients, he swapped audit rooms for adland, first at a branding agency, then JWT, and eventually AMV BBDO.

At AMV BBDO, Hautanen has become the connective tissue between creativity and commercial sense - working closely with the leadership team to make sure the agency can dream big while staying in rude financial health. But his real superpower might be people: he talks fondly of his “work wife,” long-term friendships, and the camaraderie that makes agencies tick. He’s also a quietly enthusiastic advocate for AI (“a good servant but a bad master”), a dab hand with Excel, and, by his own admission, a surprisingly insightful budget detective - once spotting a pregnancy announcement in a subsidiary’s forecast.

Forget the stereotype. This is a finance director who loves the craft, the chaos, and the company of creatives - and who proves that sometimes, the best ads are also made possible by the best accountants.

How did you get started in your career and what brought you to a role in advertising?

Growing up in Finland, there was a monthly TV programme showcasing the best advert of the month. I remember being completely transfixed by the quirky, brilliant work. At first, I wanted to study history or geography, but my parents were very clear that their plan was for me to attend business school. I started in marketing but soon realised that accounting was actually a bigger passion. After graduating, I joined Ernst & Young (EY), working mainly with clients in the telecoms and media sectors. I loved the exciting and laid-back atmosphere of the media clients, so when I left EY, I joined a branding agency. From there, I went to JWT and then moved to BBDO and AMV. I love the combination of accounting and advertising. I could never imagine myself in a stiff corporate environment.

How do you effectively maintain contact and work with the CEO/leadership team in the agency?

I interact with the leadership team daily. In finance, you are constantly collaborating with the COO, head of people, department heads, and our colleagues in the New York HQ. It is one of my favourite parts of the job. You learn so much when you are all working towards a shared goal. Everyone brings different backgrounds and experiences from different agencies, and it is fascinating to hear how things are done elsewhere. I truly admire the knowledge within our leadership team - the conversations give you great insight into what is happening across the industry.

What do you enjoy most about working in a creative agency compared to elsewhere?

The people. Some of my closest friendships were formed in advertising. I met my “work wife” at AMV. She has moved on now, but we still speak multiple times a day. I have kept friends from my JWT days over 10 years ago. My former bosses have become mentors I can still reach out to. People in advertising are laid back yet ambitious, which is how I would like others to see me.

What do you think is the greatest misconception around the FD role?

That we are boring, scary people hiding in a corner. Which, to be fair, is often where finance is placed on the floor plan! And no, we are not here just to do your expenses or hand out foreign exchange rates. It is also on finance people to get out there and interact with the creatives. When you actually go to team events, you realise we are all wired very similarly. Another misconception is that we only understand numbers, but numbers reveal a lot. I once picked up from a subsidiary’s budget that a colleague was expecting a baby long before anyone else knew. Finance people make great friends! I love giving colleagues personal finance advice: pensions, salary sacrifice, high-interest accounts, clever hacks. So come and talk to us!

What’s been the biggest surprise for you about working in the ad sector?

After years in big networks, there’s not much that shocks me anymore, but the endless stream of incredible creative work still amazes me. Work like Bodyform’s 'Viva la Vulva', Snickers’ Joan Collins ads, and Sandy Hook Promise’s 'Back to School Essentials' are just phenomenal.

How are you using AI to support your role?

AI what? In finance, your number one tool is Excel. Learn Excel first and then explore AI. I do not believe AI will ever replace the business partnering aspect of the FD role, but it is helpful. My favourite use is running text through AI. Coming from the Nordics, it helps with spell checking and enriching my vocabulary. When reviewing legal terms and conditions, I read them myself first, then run them through AI to check for anything I may have missed. AI is also great for balance sheet and P&L analysis. I have heard of people preparing accounting journals via AI. Brave, if you ask me. AI is a good servant but a bad master but who does not love a bit of ChatGPT.

How do you charge for creative ideas and have you noticed a change in the way its billed?

We are moving towards charging our clients for our outputs rather than them paying for the effort we put in, i.e. moving from cost plus to value-based pricing.

What’s your favourite ad?

Sheba 'Gravy Race'.