Tuukka Paavola, former CFO of Nightingale Health, has left Bioretec as chief financial officer with immediate effect after serving less than six months, making him the medical device maker’s third finance chief within roughly a year. 

Controller Anna-Mari Venola will assume the CFO role on an interim basis while Bioretec begins recruiting a permanent successor, extending a period of management turnover that had appeared to stabilize when Paavola joined in January.

Bioretec and Paavola mutually agreed he would not continue in the role, the company announced yesterday. No reason beyond the mutual agreement was disclosed, and the company said no financial reporting issues were associated with the departure. 

Listeds reported earlier that Paavola had joined Bioretec early this year, succeeding interim CFO Anne-Mari Matikainen, who had taken over following Johanna Salko's departure. His appointment had marked what appeared to be a return to permanent leadership in the finance function after a period of interim management. 

A short tenure during a company reset

Paavola entered the company as it sought to reset its strategy after a turbulent 2025 marked by withdrawn financial targets, restated financial results, and changes across the executive team.

His first quarterly report as CFO showed net sales declining 13% year over year to EUR 1.2 million. The decline was driven by Rest of the World sales, while the company's priority markets expanded rapidly. US sales surged by more than five times to EUR 0.3 million, and European sales tripled to EUR 0.4 million. Adjusted sales margin improved to 70.1%, although EBITDA widened to a loss of EUR 1.4 million.

Following the quarter, Bioretec completed a rights issue raising around EUR 12.9 million in gross proceeds to strengthen its balance sheet and fund targeted growth.

Paavola also became one of the company's more heavily invested executives during his brief tenure, subscribing for EUR 20,000 of shares in April before purchasing a further EUR 9,900 on the market in May. Company records show he held almost three million shares at the time of his departure.

Bioretec is rebuilding around lower growth targets

Bioretec is executing a revised 2026-2028 strategy after withdrawing more ambitious financial targets last year.

The company now aims to exceed EUR 10 million in annual net sales by the end of 2028 while maintaining an average adjusted sales margin above 70% across the strategy period. Management also plans to expand sales in the United States and Europe, broaden the RemeOs product family, continue investing in research and clinical evidence, and operate with a leaner cost base following two rounds of production change negotiations that resulted in three positions being eliminated in Finland.

Despite its modest revenue base, Bioretec has continued to expand regulatory approvals. The RemeOs implant platform, which uses an absorbable metal alloy designed to promote natural bone healing, received its first US market authorization in 2023 and CE mark approval in Europe in January 2025. Bioretec's products are used in around 40 countries, while its Activa product family comprises fully bioabsorbable orthopedic implants cleared in both Europe and the United States.

Bioretec has also continued strengthening its leadership team, appointing Conan Cavanagh as head of research and development effective Sept. 1, 2026, to advance technology development, clinical evidence, and regulatory capabilities.

Investor watch points

The immediate priority is appointing a permanent CFO. A fourth finance leader in roughly two years would further raise continuity questions as management works to deliver its revised 2026-2028 targets.

Investors will also be watching whether Paavola retains or sells his sizeable shareholding following his departure. They will also be looking for progress against Bioretec's rebased revenue and profitability targets. A further test will be whether strong growth in the US and Europe can offset weaker sales in other markets.

Investors will also monitor the company's cash runway following the EUR 12.9 million rights issue, as management does not expect positive operating cash flow during the current strategy period.

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Leaders

Bioretec's third CFO in a year exits after less than six months 

Bioretec's third CFO in a year exits after less than six months 

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5 min read

Explore and follow profiles from this article to get timely updates:

Tuukka Paavola, former CFO of Nightingale Health, has left Bioretec as chief financial officer with immediate effect after serving less than six months, making him the medical device maker’s third finance chief within roughly a year. 

Controller Anna-Mari Venola will assume the CFO role on an interim basis while Bioretec begins recruiting a permanent successor, extending a period of management turnover that had appeared to stabilize when Paavola joined in January.

Bioretec and Paavola mutually agreed he would not continue in the role, the company announced yesterday. No reason beyond the mutual agreement was disclosed, and the company said no financial reporting issues were associated with the departure. 

Listeds reported earlier that Paavola had joined Bioretec early this year, succeeding interim CFO Anne-Mari Matikainen, who had taken over following Johanna Salko's departure. His appointment had marked what appeared to be a return to permanent leadership in the finance function after a period of interim management. 

A short tenure during a company reset

Paavola entered the company as it sought to reset its strategy after a turbulent 2025 marked by withdrawn financial targets, restated financial results, and changes across the executive team.

His first quarterly report as CFO showed net sales declining 13% year over year to EUR 1.2 million. The decline was driven by Rest of the World sales, while the company's priority markets expanded rapidly. US sales surged by more than five times to EUR 0.3 million, and European sales tripled to EUR 0.4 million. Adjusted sales margin improved to 70.1%, although EBITDA widened to a loss of EUR 1.4 million.

Following the quarter, Bioretec completed a rights issue raising around EUR 12.9 million in gross proceeds to strengthen its balance sheet and fund targeted growth.

Paavola also became one of the company's more heavily invested executives during his brief tenure, subscribing for EUR 20,000 of shares in April before purchasing a further EUR 9,900 on the market in May. Company records show he held almost three million shares at the time of his departure.

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Bioretec is rebuilding around lower growth targets

Bioretec is executing a revised 2026-2028 strategy after withdrawing more ambitious financial targets last year.

The company now aims to exceed EUR 10 million in annual net sales by the end of 2028 while maintaining an average adjusted sales margin above 70% across the strategy period. Management also plans to expand sales in the United States and Europe, broaden the RemeOs product family, continue investing in research and clinical evidence, and operate with a leaner cost base following two rounds of production change negotiations that resulted in three positions being eliminated in Finland.

Despite its modest revenue base, Bioretec has continued to expand regulatory approvals. The RemeOs implant platform, which uses an absorbable metal alloy designed to promote natural bone healing, received its first US market authorization in 2023 and CE mark approval in Europe in January 2025. Bioretec's products are used in around 40 countries, while its Activa product family comprises fully bioabsorbable orthopedic implants cleared in both Europe and the United States.

Bioretec has also continued strengthening its leadership team, appointing Conan Cavanagh as head of research and development effective Sept. 1, 2026, to advance technology development, clinical evidence, and regulatory capabilities.

Investor watch points

The immediate priority is appointing a permanent CFO. A fourth finance leader in roughly two years would further raise continuity questions as management works to deliver its revised 2026-2028 targets.

Investors will also be watching whether Paavola retains or sells his sizeable shareholding following his departure. They will also be looking for progress against Bioretec's rebased revenue and profitability targets. A further test will be whether strong growth in the US and Europe can offset weaker sales in other markets.

Investors will also monitor the company's cash runway following the EUR 12.9 million rights issue, as management does not expect positive operating cash flow during the current strategy period.

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Authors

Emmi Laine is head of business content at Listeds and our lead for finance and business coverage. She sets the editorial agenda, interviews Nordic business leaders, and writes stories, newsletters, and social content on timely market and corporate topics. Emmi brings nearly eight years of experience from Shanghai's Yicai Global / Yicai Media Group, where she was awarded for reporting on China’s economy, finance sector, and technology innovation. She holds an MSc in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from ESADE Business School in Barcelona and a Master’s degree in International Design Business Management from Aalto University. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Culture Studies with a major in Journalism from Stockholm University and has studied Mandarin Chinese and Chinese culture. Emmi is a Finnish citizen and has lived in Finland, Sweden, China, and Portugal.

Emmi Laine is head of business content at Listeds and our lead for finance and business coverage. She sets the editorial agenda, interviews Nordic business leaders, and writes stories, newsletters, and social content on timely market and corporate topics. Emmi brings nearly eight years of experience from Shanghai's Yicai Global / Yicai Media Group, where she was awarded for reporting on China’s economy, finance sector, and technology innovation. She holds an MSc in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from ESADE Business School in Barcelona and a Master’s degree in International Design Business Management from Aalto University. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Culture Studies with a major in Journalism from Stockholm University and has studied Mandarin Chinese and Chinese culture. Emmi is a Finnish citizen and has lived in Finland, Sweden, China, and Portugal.

Photo of Maksymilian Zając

Maksymilian Zając is a junior data analyst at Listeds, covering Nordic leadership changes, shareholder lists and MAR transactions.

Photo of Maksymilian Zając

Maksymilian Zając is a junior data analyst at Listeds, covering Nordic leadership changes, shareholder lists and MAR transactions.

Authors

Journalist

Emmi Laine is head of business content at Listeds and our lead for finance and business coverage. She sets the editorial agenda, interviews Nordic business leaders, and writes stories, newsletters, and social content on timely market and corporate topics. Emmi brings nearly eight years of experience from Shanghai's Yicai Global / Yicai Media Group, where she was awarded for reporting on China’s economy, finance sector, and technology innovation. She holds an MSc in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from ESADE Business School in Barcelona and a Master’s degree in International Design Business Management from Aalto University. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Culture Studies with a major in Journalism from Stockholm University and has studied Mandarin Chinese and Chinese culture. Emmi is a Finnish citizen and has lived in Finland, Sweden, China, and Portugal.

Maksymilian Zając is a junior data analyst at Listeds, covering Nordic leadership changes, shareholder lists and MAR transactions.

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Leadership Moves

Elecster keeps leadership inside the board as Juuso Halonen becomes CEO

Oct 2, 2026

Elecster's board has named Deputy CEO Juuso Halonen as chief executive from 1 December 2026. Arto Kinnunen, CEO since 2017 and with the group for more than 30 years, leaves the role on 30 November and stays on as management advisor. On the same day, CFO Veronika Halonen becomes deputy CEO, eleven months after taking the finance role.

The March deputy appointment was the succession plan

On 5 March, Elecster appointed Halonen deputy CEO and a member of the management team from 30 March, reporting to Kinnunen. The stated remit was global sales and marketing and the development of management systems. Seven months later, the board has confirmed what that move signalled.

Halonen is an insider in every sense. He joined the group in 2011, has been CIO since 2019 and has sat on the board since 2024. At the time of the March appointment he held 32,705 Elecster shares. The company says Kinnunen's advisory role is meant to secure continuity through the year-end financial statement process, which places the first results under the new CEO in early 2027.

“Juuso knows Elecster, its business, personnel and international operating environment very well. The Board believes that his long experience with the company and the close work with Arto in recent months create a strong foundation for transferring the CEO's responsibility and further developing Elecster's operations,” says Jukka Halonen, Chairman of the Board, in the press release.

“I am pleased that the change of CEO can be implemented in a planned and controlled manner. I have worked closely with Juuso, and I can confidently transfer the responsibility of CEO to him,” says Arto Kinnunen.

He inherits a company whose order book has halved since March

The numbers Halonen takes over are thin. First-half 2026 revenue fell around 5.2% to EUR 15.8 million, and operating profit dropped to EUR 0.1 million from EUR 0.5 million a year earlier. The order backlog stood at EUR 4.8 million at the end of June, down from EUR 8.6 million at the end of March, as the Middle East conflict delayed customer investment decisions. A fire at the Kenyan subsidiary in Nairobi added around EUR 0.4 million in one-off costs.

The longer trend points the same way. Full-year 2025 revenue fell around 3.6% to EUR 32.7 million, and operating margin narrowed to 3.0% from 4.7%. The April AGM approved no dividend. The Russian packaging business, which the company says it will keep running for now, is the risk it flags most directly in the H1 report. Elecster still guides for revenue growth and improved earnings per share in 2026.

Halonen's own priorities match the gap. He names international sales and marketing, the service business and presence in core markets as the areas to develop, while keeping profitability as a cornerstone.

“Reliability, customer focus and profitability remain the cornerstones of our operations. At the same time, we must develop international sales and marketing, service business, our products and operating methods, and strengthen our presence and customer cooperation in our key market areas,” says Juuso Halonen in the press release.

Halonen family will hold both top executive roles and four of six board seats

The appointment concentrates leadership further. The board elected at the April 2026 AGM has six members: Aija Bärlund, Jarmo Halonen, Jukka Halonen as chair, Juuso Halonen, Veronika Halonen and Timo Kangas. From December, the CEO and deputy CEO will both come from that board.

“With her analytical and dynamic approach, Veronika Halonen has taken on the responsibilities of her current position well, and with this appointment as Deputy CEO, we are clarifying the Group's overall management structure,” says Jukka Halonen.

For a company of Elecster's size, an internal successor with seven months of supervised handover is a defensible choice. It also means the board chose continuity over an external search at a point when the business needs commercial renewal. Whether that trade pays off will show first in the order book, not in the governance chart.

Market Signals

Nightingale Health's USD 6.5 million brain health deal lands as it targets EUR 10 million in revenue

Oct 1, 2026

The Michael J. Fox Foundation will pay USD 6.5 million for Nightingale Health to analyse 60,000 UK Biobank samples for neurodegeneration markers. The company disclosed the agreement as inside information on 30 September. A day later, Nightingale published an annual report setting a revenue target of at least EUR 10 million for the current financial year.

The work will use Alamar Biosciences' NULISAseq™ Neuro 220 Panel, which is designed for neurodegeneration and other brain health conditions. At the Foundation's direction, the dataset goes to UK Biobank and opens to the wider research community in 2027. The aim is to find blood markers that change years before the symptoms of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's appear.

CEO and founder Teemu Suna said the company believes the deal will produce the world's largest brain health-focused proteomics study on a single research cohort.

The contract puts Nightingale's move into proteomics to work

The annual report says Nightingale expanded its offering into proteomics in response to growing interest in multiomics, strengthening its position in the research market. The step came through its November 2025 partnership with Alamar.

The report describes research as a separate business with its own customers and products. It is also where much of the evidence for Nightingale's healthcare business comes from, including measurements of all roughly 500,000 UK Biobank participants. The largest research agreements the report lists for the past financial year were with Aalborg University, at about EUR 2.4 million, and the Moli-sani study, at about EUR 0.7 million.

Revenue follows the samples, and the first read comes in March

Nightingale's revenue for the financial year ended June 2026 was EUR 5.50 million, up from EUR 4.69 million. That fell short of the more than 50% growth the company had targeted. In June, Nightingale warned that a EUR 2.4 million project announced in September 2025 had been delayed for reasons outside its control. As a result, about EUR 2 million of revenue moves into the current financial year. Suna called it "timing, not lost business".

The company recognises revenue over time as samples are analysed. It collects advance payments for most of its services, and the gap between payment and analysis is typically three to six months. The release gives no timeline for analysing the 60,000 samples.

The company expects its liquid funds of EUR 36.8 million to last until the end of the 2027/2028 financial year. The half-year report on 9 March 2027 will be the first chance to see how much of the delayed project and the Fox Foundation contract has turned into revenue towards the EUR 10 million target.

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