On Monday mornings, Susanna Nipuli wakes up in Heinola with her partner and their one-year-old child. A few hours later, she is in Tampere, stepping into her role as business director at Finland Events and a member of the management team at Tampereen Messut.

By Friday evening, the family returns home again.

Living between two cities was not part of a long-term plan. It was a consequence of careers, timing, and life unfolding faster than traditional housing models allow.

A workable home for modern professional life

At one point, the family explored staying in hotels during the week. Logistically, it worked. In reality, it didn’t.

“Hotels aren’t designed for everyday life, especially not with a small child,” Nipuli explains. “There’s nowhere to settle in, to keep things, to build routines. And financially, it didn’t make sense.”

A long-term lease felt equally misaligned. The work itself was clearly defined, but the family was in transition. Committing to a new permanent address, or another house, felt premature.

What they needed was flexible living that supported real life as it is now, not as it might look in five years.

That was when they moved into UNITY in Tampere.

Susanna Nipuli at UNITY in Tampere, photographed by Eino Ansio.

A place that accommodates real life

The apartment was ready from day one. Fully furnished. Calm. Functional.

There was space to cook, do laundry, and live at a normal pace, without turning housing into another project to manage. A dishwasher and washing machine simplified daily routines. The gym was open 24/7. The sauna was just steps away, with the lake close enough for a quick swim when time and weather allowed.

Besides its Tampere location, UNITY operates the same hybrid concept in Helsinki, Stockholm, and Malmö, combining a hotel, coworking space, and serviced apartment under one roof. The model is designed for professionals, families, and teams moving between cities or assignments.

“With work, a child, and two careers, ease matters,” Nipuli says. “You don’t want housing to become something you need to optimize.”

The initial plan was to stay for three months. Then they extended for another three.

What surprised them most was how well the apartment suited family life. It was quiet, child-friendly, and thoughtfully designed for everyday living rather than short stays.

Shared living without intrusion

UNITY is often described as community living, but not in a way that demands participation.

Shared spaces bring together people in similar life phases, even if their reasons for moving in differ. One morning over breakfast, Nipuli spoke with another resident who had temporarily relocated due to a plumbing renovation.

“Different reasons, same need,” she says. 

It’s a low-key form of community. Conversations happen naturally. Recommendations are exchanged. And everyone returns to their own schedules.

When time allows, the family enjoys the neighborhood. Walks by the water, a nearby gym, and the occasional pizza at Mad Finn. When work calls, co-working spaces and meeting rooms are close at hand, making it easy to shift between family life and professional focus without friction.

Susanna Nipuli can even schedule meetings at the community space in UNITY. Photographer: Eino Ansio.

Living between chapters

Practical considerations, including cost, naturally play a role, especially when compared to extended hotel stays. But for Nipuli, the real value went beyond numbers.

“It fit this phase of life,” she says. “We didn’t need to decide everything at once. We could focus on work, family, and being present.”

For professionals navigating hybrid work, dual-city careers, or transitional life stages, that balance is becoming essential.

UNITY is not about settling forever, nor about living out of suitcases.

Sometimes, where you live needs to be a temporary solution that still feels like home.
UNITY is designed exactly for that.

UNITY is not for people who have everything figured out. It’s for all of us who are in the middle of it; cities, decisions, chapters, and want a place that feels like home.

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Sponsored

How Business Director Susanna Nipuli made two-city life work with UNITY

How Business Director Susanna Nipuli made two-city life work with UNITY

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5 min read

Credit: Susanna Nipuli, photographed by Eino Ansio.

Credit: Susanna Nipuli, photographed by Eino Ansio.

On Monday mornings, Susanna Nipuli wakes up in Heinola with her partner and their one-year-old child. A few hours later, she is in Tampere, stepping into her role as business director at Finland Events and a member of the management team at Tampereen Messut.

By Friday evening, the family returns home again.

Living between two cities was not part of a long-term plan. It was a consequence of careers, timing, and life unfolding faster than traditional housing models allow.

A workable home for modern professional life

At one point, the family explored staying in hotels during the week. Logistically, it worked. In reality, it didn’t.

“Hotels aren’t designed for everyday life, especially not with a small child,” Nipuli explains. “There’s nowhere to settle in, to keep things, to build routines. And financially, it didn’t make sense.”

A long-term lease felt equally misaligned. The work itself was clearly defined, but the family was in transition. Committing to a new permanent address, or another house, felt premature.

What they needed was flexible living that supported real life as it is now, not as it might look in five years.

That was when they moved into UNITY in Tampere.

Susanna Nipuli at UNITY in Tampere, photographed by Eino Ansio.

A place that accommodates real life

The apartment was ready from day one. Fully furnished. Calm. Functional.

There was space to cook, do laundry, and live at a normal pace, without turning housing into another project to manage. A dishwasher and washing machine simplified daily routines. The gym was open 24/7. The sauna was just steps away, with the lake close enough for a quick swim when time and weather allowed.

Besides its Tampere location, UNITY operates the same hybrid concept in Helsinki, Stockholm, and Malmö, combining a hotel, coworking space, and serviced apartment under one roof. The model is designed for professionals, families, and teams moving between cities or assignments.

“With work, a child, and two careers, ease matters,” Nipuli says. “You don’t want housing to become something you need to optimize.”

The initial plan was to stay for three months. Then they extended for another three.

What surprised them most was how well the apartment suited family life. It was quiet, child-friendly, and thoughtfully designed for everyday living rather than short stays.

Shared living without intrusion

UNITY is often described as community living, but not in a way that demands participation.

Shared spaces bring together people in similar life phases, even if their reasons for moving in differ. One morning over breakfast, Nipuli spoke with another resident who had temporarily relocated due to a plumbing renovation.

“Different reasons, same need,” she says. 

It’s a low-key form of community. Conversations happen naturally. Recommendations are exchanged. And everyone returns to their own schedules.

When time allows, the family enjoys the neighborhood. Walks by the water, a nearby gym, and the occasional pizza at Mad Finn. When work calls, co-working spaces and meeting rooms are close at hand, making it easy to shift between family life and professional focus without friction.

Susanna Nipuli can even schedule meetings at the community space in UNITY. Photographer: Eino Ansio.

Living between chapters

Practical considerations, including cost, naturally play a role, especially when compared to extended hotel stays. But for Nipuli, the real value went beyond numbers.

“It fit this phase of life,” she says. “We didn’t need to decide everything at once. We could focus on work, family, and being present.”

For professionals navigating hybrid work, dual-city careers, or transitional life stages, that balance is becoming essential.

UNITY is not about settling forever, nor about living out of suitcases.

Sometimes, where you live needs to be a temporary solution that still feels like home.
UNITY is designed exactly for that.

UNITY is not for people who have everything figured out. It’s for all of us who are in the middle of it; cities, decisions, chapters, and want a place that feels like home.

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Five sessions, one cohort, twenty leaders in one room - Helsinki, 2026.

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Listeds Editorial Team — reporting on Finnish listed-company leadership, boards and governance, built on Listeds’ own leadership, ownership and governance data. Nordic coverage expanding.

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Monthly Leadership Moves

September's finance seats started filling from inside

Oct 9, 2026

Through August, every incoming chief financial officer at a Helsinki issuer since December 2025 already held the title somewhere else. In September, Vincit promoted from its own controlling team and UPM made WISA's interim finance chief permanent. The lateral market did not close: Tieto and Relais both hired sitting finance chiefs, and Terveystalo is now searching for one.

Listeds had recorded at least ten CFO changes across Nasdaq Helsinki and First North between December 2025 and August 2026, and not one incoming finance chief was taking the job for the first time. Last month's roundup ended on whether September would break that run. It did, at the smaller end of the market.

The month's second signal was structural. Viking Line, Kalmar, Terveystalo and the planned UPM and Sappi graphic paper joint venture each redrew an organization in September and named the people to run it. Board-level change stayed thin, and most of it was nomination-board formation for the 2027 annual general meetings rather than turnover in the boardroom itself.

Vincit and WISA broke the lateral run with internal finance appointments

The Digia and Vincit chain that opened in August closed in September. Vincit named a successor on September 01, and went inside to do it. Paula Kuittinen, Head of Management Accounting and Business Control since March 2026 and before that more than 12 years in finance roles at CGI, most recently she has been the Finance Director, now becoming the CFO on November 1. "It is great to be able to appoint our new CFO from within the company," said chief executive Julius Manni.

On September 18, UPM's board appointed Lasse von Hertzen, previously WISA's interim CFO, its permanent Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, effective when the plywood demerger completes. That finishes a WISA leadership team named in full by the parent's board, with trading expected from November 2.

LapWall took a third route. Tuomo Riihonen's employment ended on September 24, and the next day the company named Tiina Määttä Chief Financial Officer and Legal Officer from October 1. Her record runs through finance and legal advisory roles at Talenom and Greenstep and the chief executive seat at Kymsol Group.

Kempower named Lasse Hatinen on September 9, bringing more than 15 years of finance leadership in listed industrial companies. He joins by March 1, 2027 at the latest, from Metso where he has served as Senior Vice President, Group Controller. Juha Jaatinen, interim since August 13, holds the seat until then.

Larger issuers kept buying finance chiefs who already hold the title

The lateral market remains the default above small cap. Tieto appointed Juuso Pajunen from Terveystalo on September 16, and Terveystalo opened its search the same day. Relais Group appointed Joonas Mäkipeska on September 14 from Technopolis, where he is Chief Financial and Strategy Officer, after CFO roles at Holiday Club Resorts, Sponda and ALD Automotive. Chief executive Christian Gebauer framed the brief as "continued profitable growth, supported by financial discipline, strong cash conversion and investment discipline."

Stora Enso moved the other way on the same theme: on September 17 CFO Niclas Rosenlew was named deputy chief executive to President & CEO Hans Sohlström while keeping the finance role. Tallink appointed Armin Penner as its new CFO on September 8. He has worked for more than six years as CFO and Management Board Member of Circle K Eesti and has also served as CFO of Euroapteek and Ragn-Sells Eesti. 

SSH went outside for its chief executive, Arvo went to its own board

September's two listed-issuer CEO appointments took opposite routes. SSH Communications Security named Lars Bell from Omada, where he was Chief Customer Officer and interim chief executive, effective October 1. The share rose 49.5% in the five sessions to September 7. Bell inherits a business whose second-quarter revenue recovered to EUR 5.7 million, up 6.8%, while EBITDA fell 40.7%, and he starts on the same day as CFO Cristian Arias. The third-quarter report will be the first one a rebuilt executive team owns.

Arvo Sijoitusosuuskunta named Teemu Kokko, a member of its board of directors since 2021, deputy chief executive from December and chief executive from April 1, 2027. The selection ran through a nomination committee drawn from the cooperative's supervisory board, one level above the board Kokko sits on. He inherits first-half operating profit of EUR 8.5 million against EUR 6.5 million a year earlier, most of the step-up traced to an approximately EUR 6.9 million gain on the HANZA exit.

Reorganizations, not departures, produced most management-team changes

The month's largest management-team changes came attached to new structures. Kalmar announced plans on September 3 to simplify its operating model by combining divisions. Terveystalo said on September 4 it will report in four segments from 2027, Healthcare Services, Oral Health, Public Partnerships and Sweden, and named Ville Pesonen senior vice president for oral health. Viking Line renewed its management structure on September 8 and established a Viking Leadership Team. UPM and Sappi nominated Gunnar Eberhardt and Stephen Blyth to lead their planned graphic paper joint venture on September 8, and the wider management team on September 14. 

Technology seats moved alongside. Aspocomp named Ville Raatikainen Chief Engineering and Technology Officer from January 1, 2027, the second outside hire to its team since July, timed to the phased commissioning of its expanded Oulu plant.

Directors moving into executive roles drove September's committee changes

Only one board chair left. Kari Syrjänen resigned as chair of Biohit on September 2. The two committee changes that followed shared a cause: a director taking an executive job. Tulikivi's audit committee chair Niko Haavisto left the board after becoming CFO of Fiskars, and Panu Paappanen became the chairperson on September 14. At Olvi, director Tarmo Noop left the audit committee to run the Estonian subsidiary A. Le Coq on an interim basis, and board chair Nora Hortling replaced him.

September split the finance pipeline by company size

September broke the lateral CFO run, but only at the smaller end of the market: Vincit and WISA filled their finance seats from inside, while Tieto and Relais kept hiring sitting finance chiefs. At chief executive level, Arvo promoted from its own board and SSH went outside. Most management-team changes followed reorganizations rather than departures. On boards, the committee changes came from directors moving into executive roles, and most other activity was nomination-board formation for 2027. With interim finance cover at Kempower and Relais and an open seat at Terveystalo, the next test is whether larger issuers start filling finance seats from within. 

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