Määttänen joins from Fintoil, where he is CEO, and has previously held senior leadership and business development roles at Stora Enso and Andritz. The board began its search in March, when Hautaniemi, CEO since 2019, announced that he would step down by summer 2027.
Määttänen takes over a company that has been a pure circular economy business since January
L&T began trading as a separate listed company on 2 January 2026, after a partial demerger completed at the end of 2025. When Hautaniemi announced his departure, Chair Jukka Leinonen credited him with steering the company through the demerger and launching its new circular economy strategy.
“The Board believes he is the right person to accelerate Lassila & Tikanoja’s growth as a company purely focused on the circular economy,” says Jukka Leinonen, Chair of the Board.
He inherits a profit warning and a waste management business under pressure
In July, L&T lowered its 2026 adjusted EBITA outlook to EUR 33 million to EUR 38 million from EUR 38 million to EUR 44 million, against EUR 40.6 million in 2025. First-half adjusted EBITA fell 36.8% to EUR 10.1 million on net sales up 5.9% to EUR 211.1 million, as lower waste volumes, higher fuel costs and higher waste-to-energy gate fees weighed on Waste Management.
The executive board around him has also changed this year. Hilppa Rautpalo, who oversaw legal, HR and EHSQ, resigned in February, and Arttu Lindroos joined as SVP, HR in September.
“The company has a strong market position, highly skilled employees and significant opportunities to create value for its customers and shareholders,” says Ari-Pekka Määttänen.
Hautaniemi’s advisory role overlaps with Määttänen’s first three months as CEO, running until 31 July 2027.
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