10 Things You Didn't Know About ... Tero Sarkkinen

10 personal questions and 10 personal answers from Tero Sarkkinen, chief executive officer of Futuremark - the company that delivers what is considered the most relevant benchmark software to determine the performance potential of a consumer PC. In his career with Futuremark, he has been the Executive Vice President and President of the company’s U.S. subsidiary and climbed to the role of the CEO of the Finnish company in June of 2007. You won’t find many people on this planet who know as much about PC performance evaluation as Tero. Read his answers to our ten questions here.

I couldn’t survive without my ... wife. She’s always there supporting me.

The best advice I ever got ... is that it is easier to stay out of trouble than get out of trouble. I don’t remember where I heard it first, but I will always remember the phrase since it is so true and it is worthwhile to think about it in many situations.

A person/people I admire ... is Peter Drucker. I read a lot of management science. And by far, Peter Drucker has had the most influence on me. He had an incredible ability to simplify and conceptualize the most important issues related to management in the knowledge business era.

If I could go anywhere, or do anything, I would ... stop the climate change. Now living back in Finland, it really struck me how fast the climate has changed. There are virtually no more winters up here and it just shocks me how bad mother earth seems to be doing.

A technology I have no use for ... is a DVD rewinder.

The best idea I had ... was to join Futuremark. My work there has taken me all over the world, including living seven years in the San Francisco Bay Area and I have had the privilege to get to know many great people.

Luxury is ... being able to spend at least two consecutive weeks on vacation, totally devoted to one’s family. I know it may sound even odd in some business cultures for a manager to encourage his team to make proper plans to totally switch off from work. However, a lot of studies, and my personal experience, claim that it is only after a week or so into a vacation when one’s brain finally starts to relax and recharge. Try it, you’ll see that when you’re back, you will be twice as efficient as before.

I wish I had invented ... a cure for cancer. There’s too much of that stuff coming up these days.

My tombstone should read ... Pwnage :) :)

A person/trend/technology to watch ... is consolidation in the game industry. It seems as if the new generation of consoles has caused woes for many companies and that means that those in a stronger position get to pick up the cherries. I hope that this development will not hamper innovation and development of new IP titles.