Elle Tick's Journey from Childhood Passion to Touring Cars

A career in business does not always begin with a first job. Sometimes, the earliest signs of a future direction appear years before a person realizes where that interest may lead.

For Elle Tick, that connection can be traced back to her childhood and her early fascination with motorhomes. Long before she joined Touring Cars professionally, she was already curious about the companies, products, and business surrounding the motorhome industry.

A particularly memorable example comes from when Elle was just 12 years old. At that age, she prepared a handwritten presentation about Hymer, the German motorhome manufacturer. Her notes explored the company, its German origins, its international market, and its presence in Finland through local businesses selling Hymer motorhomes.

Alongside the written presentation, Elle drew her own motorhome and identified it as an alcove model, featuring the characteristic sleeping area above the driver's cab. Today, the handwritten page offers a remarkable glimpse into an early interest that would eventually become closely connected with her professional life.

An Early Interest in the World of Motorhomes

The presentation is interesting not simply because Elle chose motorhomes as her subject, but because of what she noticed about the industry at such a young age.

Her notes went beyond describing a vehicle. She was looking at Hymer as a company, considering where it was based, how its products reached other countries, and how the Finnish market was connected to an international manufacturer.

For a 12-year-old, it was an unusually business-oriented perspective.

The drawing of the alcove motorhome adds another personal element to the story. It shows an early familiarity with the design and functionality of motorhomes, while the handwritten notes demonstrate an interest in the wider business behind the product.

At the time, there was no way to know that this small school presentation would eventually become part of a much larger story. Yet years later, it provides an intriguing connection between Elle's childhood curiosity and her eventual role in the motorhome industry.

From Childhood Curiosity to Professional Experience

Elle's professional journey with Touring Cars began in 2021, when she joined the company's Board of Directors and started working within the business.

Rather than moving immediately into a senior executive position, she began by gaining practical experience in the vehicle sales department. This gave her the opportunity to understand the business at an operational level, work with the products, and gain insight into customer expectations and the commercial side of motorhome rental.

This practical experience developed alongside her academic education.

Elle pursued her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Business, strengthening her understanding of management, strategy, sales, administration, and organisational development. The combination of academic study and direct experience within Touring Cars provided a foundation for her growing responsibilities within the company.

Following her graduation, Elle moved into a leadership position as Director of Sales and Administrative Services.

Her progression illustrates an important aspect of her journey: she did not simply enter the family business through ownership. She developed her understanding of the company through education and hands-on experience before taking on greater responsibility.

Learning the Business From Within

Family businesses often face a unique challenge when a new generation becomes involved. Preserving the strengths of the existing organisation while introducing new ideas requires a careful balance.

For Touring Cars, Elle's development has been part of this process.

Her experience within the company has allowed her to see different sides of the organisation, from vehicles and sales to administration and leadership. This broader understanding is particularly valuable for a business operating across international markets and working with franchise partners and travel organisations.

Her business education also provides a different perspective from the experience accumulated by the previous generation.

Together, these experiences create an opportunity for Touring Cars to combine established knowledge with new approaches to business development, customer expectations, technology, and international growth.

Continuing the Touring Cars Legacy

Elle's story is naturally connected to that of her mother, Tanja Saarnio, whose career has been central to the development of Touring Cars.

Tanja joined the company during its early years and became increasingly involved in its development before becoming the sole owner in 1995. Under her leadership, Touring Cars strengthened its motorhome fleet, developed its customer-focused approach, expanded internationally, and built its franchise concept.

Her decades of experience have shaped much of the company's identity.

Elle represents the next stage of that story.

In 2021, Tanja decided to bring her daughter more directly into the business. What began with Elle joining the Board of Directors and working in vehicle sales has developed into a broader leadership role and shared ownership.

Today, Tanja Saarnio owns 51% of Touring Cars and Elle Tick owns 49%, creating a mother-daughter partnership at the heart of the company.

Two Generations, One Direction

The significance of this partnership goes beyond the ownership structure.

Tanja brings decades of entrepreneurial and industry experience, having guided Touring Cars through periods of major change, international expansion, and transformation within the travel industry. Elle brings a new generation's business education, professional experience, and perspective.

Their roles represent two different stages of the same business journey.

For Touring Cars, this creates continuity without standing still. The company can build on the principles and experience that established its reputation while remaining open to new ideas and changing markets.

This balance can be particularly important in the motorhome industry, where customer expectations continue to evolve and travellers increasingly look for flexibility, comfort, and personalised experiences.

From a Handwritten Page to a Leadership Role

Looking back at Elle's presentation about Hymer today gives the story an unusual sense of continuity.

At 12, she wrote about a German motorhome manufacturer, its international operations, and the Finnish market. She drew an alcove motorhome by hand and explored a subject connected to an industry that would eventually become part of her professional life.

Years later, she would enter that same broader industry through Touring Cars.

She studied business, gained practical experience, worked in sales, joined the Board of Directors, and progressed into a senior management position. Today, she is also a co-owner of the company.

The childhood presentation was not a prediction of her future. It was simply a moment of curiosity. But when viewed alongside her career today, it becomes a meaningful part of her story.

It shows that an interest can sometimes stay with us for years, developing gradually as education, experience, and opportunity shape its direction.

Looking Toward the Next Chapter

Touring Cars has travelled a long way since its beginnings in Finland. Over the decades, the company has developed from a pioneering motorhome business into an international franchise organisation serving customers across Europe.

The next chapter will require the same qualities that have supported the company throughout its history: adaptability, strong leadership, customer focus, and the willingness to look beyond the immediate challenge.

Elle Tick is now part of that next chapter.

Her journey brings together three elements that are particularly important to the future of a family-owned business: heritage, professional development, and a willingness to look forward.

From the handwritten notes of a 12-year-old interested in Hymer to her current role within Touring Cars, the journey reflects more than a family connection to the motorhome industry. It reflects the gradual development of a new generation of leadership.

And for a company built around the idea of travelling forward, there could hardly be a more fitting way to continue its story.