Working as a fashion model provided Airisto with the financial means to pursue academic studies in Finland and abroad.

She earned a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree from the Swedish-speaking Hanken School of Economics in Helsinki, Finland.

Her studies culminated in practical experience at various TV studios in Los Angeles, including an internship with the Steve Allen show.

In 2008, a survey commissioned by Taloustutkimus confirmed Airisto's influence in Finland, ranking her among the ten most influential women in the country.

She is perhaps best known for making it socially unacceptable to wear tennis socks with a suit in Finland during the 1980s, a practice that was previously common among Finnish businessmen abroad.