Kimmo Kärkkäinen will take over as Digia's CFO by February 2027 at the latest, arriving from Vincit's finance seat. It is the second time since 2017 that Digia has filled its CFO role with a sitting CFO from another Nasdaq Helsinki company, a pattern Listeds examines across the wider market in a companion piece.
Digia has appointed Kimmo Kärkkäinen (b. 1972) as Chief Financial Officer and a member of the management team, effective by February 2027 at the latest, reporting to President and CEO Timo Levoranta. Kärkkäinen joins from Vincit, where he is currently CFO, and has previously held CFO roles at Fira Group and leadership positions at Sitedrive Oy, private-equity firm Bocap, Affecto Plc, and TeliaSonera.
He succeeds Kristiina Simola, who announced on 21 April 2026 that she would step down to pursue a board career after serving as Digia's CFO since 2017. Simola remains in post through the transition, with an outside date of end-October 2026.
Vincit has confirmed Kärkkäinen's resignation "to join another company," with him continuing in role during a transition period until the beginning of November 2026 at the latest while it recruits a successor. CEO Julius Manni thanked him for developing the company's processes and leadership culture.
On the appointment, Kärkkäinen said: "Digia has made an impressive journey as a profitable growth company, and it has a strong position in the Finnish software and services market. I am excited to join Digia in building its next phase. As Chief Financial Officer, I want to support the implementation of the strategy and the growth of shareholder value together with a skilled team.”
Levoranta cited Kärkkäinen’s “strong experience in financial management and business development,” as well as his experience in mergers and acquisitions and in building growth companies and new businesses.
Sales are still growing, but Digia's EBITA margin is shrinking
Digia enters the transition from a mixed position. Full-year 2025 was strong: net sales rose 5.5% to EUR 217.0 million, and the fourth quarter closed the year hard, with net sales up 10.5% to EUR 60.2 million and EBITA up 45.5% to EUR 8.5 million; the March 2026 AGM approved a dividend of EUR 0.19 per share. But 2026 opened weaker. In the first quarter, net sales grew 4.9% to EUR 56.4 million while EBITA fell 28.2% to EUR 3.3 million, partly on non-recurring change-negotiation and provision costs. The first half told the same story: net sales up 2.9% to EUR 110.7 million against EBITA down 16.7% to EUR 6.4 million, with EUR 2 million of non-recurring items, even as the equity ratio improved to 48.5% and net gearing fell to 23.4%; Digia pointed to market uncertainty weighing on customer investment decisions.
Market pressure ran alongside headcount reductions: Digia announced change negotiations on 27 February 2026, with negotiations beginning on 5 March and covering roughly 300 of Digia's 1,600 employees. The negotiations concluded on 25 March, with 31 positions ultimately set to be reduced and estimated annual cost savings of about EUR 2.4 million.
Against that backdrop, Digia set medium-term targets at its 5 February 2026 strategy update and 21 May 2026 Capital Markets Day: average annual net sales growth above 10%, an EBITA margin above 12% at the end of the strategy period, and 30% of net sales from outside Finland at the end of the strategy period.
This is the second time Digia has hired its CFO from another listed company
The move fits a recurring Nasdaq Helsinki pattern: rather than promote internally or hire a first-time CFO, Finnish listed companies frequently recruit a sitting CFO from another listed company. Digia is a clear case. Simola arrived from Digitalist Group Plc in 2017, Kärkkäinen from Vincit in 2026, both from public-company finance seats.
And the pattern rarely stops at a single move. Kärkkäinen's own departure now leaves Vincit's CFO seat open, and Vincit has already begun the search for a successor. That vacancy is the next in a run of ten finance-chief changes Listeds tracked across Nasdaq Helsinki and First North between December 2025 and August 2026, read as a set in the companion feature: The easiest way to become CFO of a Finnish listed company? Already be one at another.
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Kimmo Kärkkäinen will take over as Digia's CFO by February 2027 at the latest, arriving from Vincit's finance seat. It is the second time since 2017 that Digia has filled its CFO role with a sitting CFO from another Nasdaq Helsinki company, a pattern Listeds examines across the wider market in a companion piece.
Digia has appointed Kimmo Kärkkäinen (b. 1972) as Chief Financial Officer and a member of the management team, effective by February 2027 at the latest, reporting to President and CEO Timo Levoranta. Kärkkäinen joins from Vincit, where he is currently CFO, and has previously held CFO roles at Fira Group and leadership positions at Sitedrive Oy, private-equity firm Bocap, Affecto Plc, and TeliaSonera.
He succeeds Kristiina Simola, who announced on 21 April 2026 that she would step down to pursue a board career after serving as Digia's CFO since 2017. Simola remains in post through the transition, with an outside date of end-October 2026.
Vincit has confirmed Kärkkäinen's resignation "to join another company," with him continuing in role during a transition period until the beginning of November 2026 at the latest while it recruits a successor. CEO Julius Manni thanked him for developing the company's processes and leadership culture.
On the appointment, Kärkkäinen said: "Digia has made an impressive journey as a profitable growth company, and it has a strong position in the Finnish software and services market. I am excited to join Digia in building its next phase. As Chief Financial Officer, I want to support the implementation of the strategy and the growth of shareholder value together with a skilled team.”
Levoranta cited Kärkkäinen’s “strong experience in financial management and business development,” as well as his experience in mergers and acquisitions and in building growth companies and new businesses.
Sales are still growing, but Digia's EBITA margin is shrinking
Digia enters the transition from a mixed position. Full-year 2025 was strong: net sales rose 5.5% to EUR 217.0 million, and the fourth quarter closed the year hard, with net sales up 10.5% to EUR 60.2 million and EBITA up 45.5% to EUR 8.5 million; the March 2026 AGM approved a dividend of EUR 0.19 per share. But 2026 opened weaker. In the first quarter, net sales grew 4.9% to EUR 56.4 million while EBITA fell 28.2% to EUR 3.3 million, partly on non-recurring change-negotiation and provision costs. The first half told the same story: net sales up 2.9% to EUR 110.7 million against EBITA down 16.7% to EUR 6.4 million, with EUR 2 million of non-recurring items, even as the equity ratio improved to 48.5% and net gearing fell to 23.4%; Digia pointed to market uncertainty weighing on customer investment decisions.
Market pressure ran alongside headcount reductions: Digia announced change negotiations on 27 February 2026, with negotiations beginning on 5 March and covering roughly 300 of Digia's 1,600 employees. The negotiations concluded on 25 March, with 31 positions ultimately set to be reduced and estimated annual cost savings of about EUR 2.4 million.
Against that backdrop, Digia set medium-term targets at its 5 February 2026 strategy update and 21 May 2026 Capital Markets Day: average annual net sales growth above 10%, an EBITA margin above 12% at the end of the strategy period, and 30% of net sales from outside Finland at the end of the strategy period.
This is the second time Digia has hired its CFO from another listed company
The move fits a recurring Nasdaq Helsinki pattern: rather than promote internally or hire a first-time CFO, Finnish listed companies frequently recruit a sitting CFO from another listed company. Digia is a clear case. Simola arrived from Digitalist Group Plc in 2017, Kärkkäinen from Vincit in 2026, both from public-company finance seats.
And the pattern rarely stops at a single move. Kärkkäinen's own departure now leaves Vincit's CFO seat open, and Vincit has already begun the search for a successor. That vacancy is the next in a run of ten finance-chief changes Listeds tracked across Nasdaq Helsinki and First North between December 2025 and August 2026, read as a set in the companion feature: The easiest way to become CFO of a Finnish listed company? Already be one at another.
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