Fortum’s appointment of Samu Paukkunen as Director, Geopolitics and Resilience, effective 1 June, is the latest sign that defence and security expertise is moving from the margins of Finnish corporate life to the executive table.

Paukkunen joins from the Finnish Institute of International Affairs and previously led climate and energy security at NATO. His profile fits an emerging pattern across Finnish listed companies. 

Nokia recruited former ambassador to the United States and Russia Mikko Hautala as Chief Geopolitical and Government Relations Officer, with a parallel role as Chairman of Nokia Defence. 

Kesla appointed Tapio Pirinen to lead Kesla Defence alongside its PMO function in March 2025. 

Summa Defence brought in Rear Admiral (ret.) Juha Vauhkonen, a former director of Finnish Defence Intelligence, to head defence and security affairs. He started in September 2024 and left a year later.

The titles vary, Director Geopolitics, Chairman Defence, Defence and Security Affairs, but the direction is the same. 

Three years after Finland joined NATO, and with energy security, dual-use technology and supply-chain resilience now board-level concerns, listed companies are hiring out of the diplomatic corps, the defence forces and the intelligence community.

For Fortum, a critical-infrastructure operator with cross-border exposure, Paukkunen’s appointment looks less like a one-off and more like a category that is here to stay.