Four new CEO appointments and six new CFO hires marked a return to executive hiring among Finnish listed companies in May, as leadership activity shifted away from the boardroom after April's AGM-driven peak.

According to Listeds data, Finnish listed companies recorded 93 board and management changes during the month. Boards accounted for 38 changes, including 21 appointments and 17 departures. Management teams recorded 55 changes, consisting of 38 appointments and 17 departures.

The contrast with April is notable. April produced an exceptional 226 leadership changes as the AGM season reached full intensity. May still reflected the same governance cycle, but the pace became more selective as companies completed the largest board renewals and shifted attention back toward executive teams.

Board renewal remains active

Several companies continued reshaping their boards during May.

Car dealership Wetteri recorded seven board changes, the highest number among listed companies during the month. The company appointed Aarne Simula as chair alongside Mika Aho, Minna Kurunsaari, and Jarmo Rankinen as new board members, while Hannu Pärssinen, Mikael Malmsten, and Martti Haapala departed.

Revenio recorded five board changes following its acquisition of Visionix International, which closed on May 28. As part of the transaction, Marc Abitbol, Charles Vilgrain, and Nicklas Hansen joined Revenio's board, while Ann-Christine Sundell and Pekka Tammela stepped down. The appointments expand the board's expertise as Revenio integrates Visionix, a deal that significantly increases the company's scale in ophthalmic diagnostics.

Sanoma, the owner of Helsingin Sanomat and Aamulehti, also refreshed its governance structure. Timo Lappalainen became chair while Tiina Alahuhta-Kasko joined the board. The changes coincided with the departures of long-time chair Pekka Ala-Pietilä and board member Anna Herlin.

Elsewhere, KH Group and Modulight each recorded four board changes, while Faron Pharmaceuticals completed a three-person board reshuffle.

The pattern differs from April's broad-based AGM wave. Instead of dozens of companies making simultaneous changes, May's activity was concentrated in a smaller group of companies undertaking more extensive board renewals.

Executive appointments regain momentum

Management activity strengthened again after slowing during the height of the AGM season.

The month included four CEO appointments. Canatu appointed Maximilian Slawinski as CEO, succeeding Juha Kokkonen. Duell confirmed Tomi Virtanen as CEO after serving in the role on an interim basis. Martela appointed Panu Ala-Nikkola as CEO, while Siili Solutions named Markku Savusalo, VP of digital engineering, interim CEO.

Finance leadership remained a recurring theme. Six companies appointed new chief financial officers during the month, including Enersense International, F-Secure, Puuilo, Rebl Group, Scanfil, and Suominen.

Companies also continued to strengthen commercial, growth, and people leadership functions. Admicom appointed Jesse Pärnänen as chief growth officer, while Metso named Jonathan Allen chief growth officer. Sitowise appointed Elisa Rusama as chief human resources officer, and Duell added Anne-May Asplund as chief people officer.

One company stood out for executive activity. Revenio Group recorded seven management changes, including six vice president appointments, as the company reshaped parts of its leadership structure.

The first five months of 2026 now reveal a clear sequence in Finnish corporate leadership. January and February focused primarily on management teams. March reopened boardrooms as AGM season approached. April delivered the largest governance reset of the year. May suggests that the cycle is entering a new phase: board renewals are still taking place, but leadership activity is gradually shifting back toward operating teams and execution.

If April was about deciding who sits around the board table, May was increasingly about deciding who runs the business day to day.

This monthly read is part of Listeds Leadership Intelligence, where we follow the leadership changes across the Finnish market. Subscribe to our Pulse newsletter or the platform to follow the moves as they happen. The CEO Index, produced with SAM Headhunting, tracks every new chief executive, quarter by quarter.

|

|

Insights

Four new CEOs and six CFOs in May signal a return to executive hiring

Four new CEOs and six CFOs in May signal a return to executive hiring

·

5 min read

Four new CEO appointments and six new CFO hires marked a return to executive hiring among Finnish listed companies in May, as leadership activity shifted away from the boardroom after April's AGM-driven peak.

According to Listeds data, Finnish listed companies recorded 93 board and management changes during the month. Boards accounted for 38 changes, including 21 appointments and 17 departures. Management teams recorded 55 changes, consisting of 38 appointments and 17 departures.

The contrast with April is notable. April produced an exceptional 226 leadership changes as the AGM season reached full intensity. May still reflected the same governance cycle, but the pace became more selective as companies completed the largest board renewals and shifted attention back toward executive teams.

Board renewal remains active

Several companies continued reshaping their boards during May.

Car dealership Wetteri recorded seven board changes, the highest number among listed companies during the month. The company appointed Aarne Simula as chair alongside Mika Aho, Minna Kurunsaari, and Jarmo Rankinen as new board members, while Hannu Pärssinen, Mikael Malmsten, and Martti Haapala departed.

Revenio recorded five board changes following its acquisition of Visionix International, which closed on May 28. As part of the transaction, Marc Abitbol, Charles Vilgrain, and Nicklas Hansen joined Revenio's board, while Ann-Christine Sundell and Pekka Tammela stepped down. The appointments expand the board's expertise as Revenio integrates Visionix, a deal that significantly increases the company's scale in ophthalmic diagnostics.

Sanoma, the owner of Helsingin Sanomat and Aamulehti, also refreshed its governance structure. Timo Lappalainen became chair while Tiina Alahuhta-Kasko joined the board. The changes coincided with the departures of long-time chair Pekka Ala-Pietilä and board member Anna Herlin.

Elsewhere, KH Group and Modulight each recorded four board changes, while Faron Pharmaceuticals completed a three-person board reshuffle.

The pattern differs from April's broad-based AGM wave. Instead of dozens of companies making simultaneous changes, May's activity was concentrated in a smaller group of companies undertaking more extensive board renewals.

Our Pulse newsletter

Your weekly leadership intelligence briefing.

What happened, why it matters, and what to watch across every CEO, board, and executive move in Nordic listed companies, starting with Finland. Fast, factual, and to the point.

Delivered every Monday.

By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy

Our Pulse newsletter

Your weekly leadership intelligence briefing.

What happened, why it matters, and what to watch across every CEO, board, and executive move in Nordic listed companies, starting with Finland. Fast, factual, and to the point.

Delivered every Monday.

By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy

Executive appointments regain momentum

Management activity strengthened again after slowing during the height of the AGM season.

The month included four CEO appointments. Canatu appointed Maximilian Slawinski as CEO, succeeding Juha Kokkonen. Duell confirmed Tomi Virtanen as CEO after serving in the role on an interim basis. Martela appointed Panu Ala-Nikkola as CEO, while Siili Solutions named Markku Savusalo, VP of digital engineering, interim CEO.

Finance leadership remained a recurring theme. Six companies appointed new chief financial officers during the month, including Enersense International, F-Secure, Puuilo, Rebl Group, Scanfil, and Suominen.

Companies also continued to strengthen commercial, growth, and people leadership functions. Admicom appointed Jesse Pärnänen as chief growth officer, while Metso named Jonathan Allen chief growth officer. Sitowise appointed Elisa Rusama as chief human resources officer, and Duell added Anne-May Asplund as chief people officer.

One company stood out for executive activity. Revenio Group recorded seven management changes, including six vice president appointments, as the company reshaped parts of its leadership structure.

The first five months of 2026 now reveal a clear sequence in Finnish corporate leadership. January and February focused primarily on management teams. March reopened boardrooms as AGM season approached. April delivered the largest governance reset of the year. May suggests that the cycle is entering a new phase: board renewals are still taking place, but leadership activity is gradually shifting back toward operating teams and execution.

If April was about deciding who sits around the board table, May was increasingly about deciding who runs the business day to day.

This monthly read is part of Listeds Leadership Intelligence, where we follow the leadership changes across the Finnish market. Subscribe to our Pulse newsletter or the platform to follow the moves as they happen. The CEO Index, produced with SAM Headhunting, tracks every new chief executive, quarter by quarter.

Discover signals like this from Finland’s leading listed companies before they make it to the news by signing up to the Listeds Leadership Intelligence platform.

Board Programme

Built for Nordic listed company boards.

The only programme in the Nordics designed specifically for listed-company board work.
Five sessions, one cohort, twenty leaders in one room - Helsinki, 2026.

Board Programme

Built for Nordic listed company boards.

The only programme in the Nordics designed specifically for listed-company board work.
Five sessions, one cohort, twenty leaders in one room - Helsinki, 2026.

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.

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.

All Listeds newsletters (bundle)

One sign-up, the full picture.

Get every Listeds newsletter: the daily signal drumbeat, the weekly Pulse briefing, the monthly Best of the Month, the CEO letter, and the Weekend read.

By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy

All Listeds newsletters (bundle)

One sign-up, the full picture.

Get every Listeds newsletter: the daily signal drumbeat, the weekly Pulse briefing, the monthly Best of the Month, the CEO letter, and the Weekend read.

By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy

Latest signalsLive feed
Moves trackerLive feed

Investor Event

Listeds Investor Event · Defence

Nordic defence is in a once-in-a-generation growth cycle. Eight listed and pre-IPO companies pitch to 100+ invited investors at Valkoinen Sali, Helsinki

21 September 2026

Latest on Listeds

Leadership Moves

Teemu Kokko moves from Arvo's board to its chief executive's chair

Sep 7, 2026

Kokko becomes deputy CEO in December and chief executive on 1 April 2027, after five years on Arvo's board of directors. The nomination committee that selected him sits under the supervisory board, one level above that board; Arvo has not disclosed whether he keeps his seat.

On 1 September 2026, Arvo Sijoitusosuuskunta released as inside information that Teemu Kokko will become its chief executive. He starts as deputy CEO in early December 2026 and takes over on 1 April 2027.

Kokko joins from the insurance underwriter Arch Underwriters Europe Oy, where he is regional director. He has also been a member of Arvo's board of directors since 2021.

The committee sits one level up

Arvo is a cooperative. Its highest governing body is not the board of directors but the supervisory board which represents the members, has 18 to 30 seats, serves three-year terms and meets roughly three times a year. That body appoints a nomination committee from among its own members.

When Jari Pirinen announced on 8 September 2025 that he would retire in spring 2027 on turning 66, Arvo said management succession planning sat with that committee, and supervisory board chair Tuomo Tamminen said it would report on progress later.

So the body that selected Kokko is not the board Kokko sits on. It is drawn from a members' organ and answers to the members.

In a listed limited company there is no such layer. The board appoints the chief executive itself. That is the comparison for any Finnish board weighing one of its own directors as a successor: Arvo can point to a committee above the board; a listed board has to show its process instead.

Two things Arvo has not disclosed. The release does not say whether Kokko remains a member of the board of directors once he becomes deputy CEO in December or chief executive in April. Nor does it say how the board handled his candidacy, he has been a director throughout the period covered by the succession process announced in September 2025.

Arvo's board was re-elected in February 2026 and comprises Marjo Kolehmainen as chair (a director since 2018, chair since 2022), Mika Kiljala as vice chair (director since 2017), Juha Laakkonen and Kokko (both since 2021), and Titta Mantila (since 2024).

The handover runs 19 months end to end

Retirement flagged in September 2025. Successor named in September 2026. Four months as deputy chief executive from early December 2026. Handover on 1 April 2027. Pirinen then moves to special duties on the board of directors from that date, takes accrued leave, and retires on 31 May 2027.

That is a longer and more pre-committed sequence than Helsinki practice, where chief executive changes are often announced with an interim in place and a search still running.

The numbers he inherits, and the transaction inside them

Arvo reported group operating profit of EUR 8.5 million for the first half of 2026, against EUR 6.5 million a year earlier, and a net result of EUR 7.0 million against EUR 2.7 million. Annualised return on invested capital was 17.0 per cent, against 10.3 per cent. Equity per unit rose to EUR 123 from EUR 117.

Most of the step-up traces to one position. Arvo sold its entire holding of 896,806 shares in Nasdaq Stockholm-listed HANZA AB in March 2026 for a capital gain of approximately EUR 6.9 million. It had taken those shares in 2025 as part of the price for exiting Leden Group — a Finnish seller accepting equity in a Swedish listed acquirer, then realising it inside twelve months. That structure is the more transferable lesson in the half-year for anyone selling a Finnish asset across the Gulf of Bothnia.

Underlying performance was already ahead of target before the disposal. Parent-company return on invested capital was 10.1 per cent for full-year 2025, which the company said clearly exceeded the board's return target, and the board proposed a per-unit interest of EUR 5.77, which Arvo characterised as about 60 per cent of the year's earnings. At the end of 2025 the cooperative had 22,373 members and 814,470 units.

The units closed at EUR 84.20 on 3 September 2026. Equity per unit was EUR 123 at 30 June 2026. On those two dates the units traded roughly 32 per cent below reported equity per unit — a gap readers should weigh themselves, and one measured across a two-month interval rather than at a single date. Inderes rates the units Accumulate as at 21 August 2026; Arvo is a commissioned research client of Inderes, and its coverage should be read with that in mind.

The mandate points one way, the reported share the other

Tamminen set the direction in the appointment release:

"Under Teemu's leadership, we believe Arvo's investment operations will develop further and the share of direct investments will grow."

He paired it with a constraint in the same release:

"We continue to regard it as important that Arvo remains a stable payer of the per-unit interest, as in previous years."

Grow the illiquid share; keep the cash distribution steady. Those two pull against each other, and holding both is the substance of the job.

The measured direct share has been moving the other way. Direct investments were 47 per cent of the portfolio at fair value at the end of 2025, up from 44 per cent a year earlier. At 30 June 2026 they were 40 per cent, against 45 per cent at 30 June 2025.

The profit and the fall have a common cause: the HANZA exit produced the gain and removed a direct holding. So the growth mandate starts from a lower base than the 2025 figures suggest. 

Deal activity has continued. Arvo took a minority stake in bus operator Wiimax Oy alongside Wiimax's acquisition of J.M. Eskelisen Lapin Linjat Oy, and joined a Helmet Capital-led investor group in Oskutuote Oy, a wild bird food specialist.

Why it matters beyond one cooperative

Arvo listed its units on Nasdaq First North Growth Market Finland, Cooperatives segment, on 20 June 2023 under the ticker ARVOSK — the first cooperative units listed on Nasdaq's Nordic markets. It is a listed issuer with a members' register the size of a mid-cap shareholder base and a governance architecture most Finnish listed companies gave up decades ago.

Three questions for any company announcing a new chief executive.

  • Who runs the process, and does that body sit above the candidate or beside him? Arvo can point one level up.

  • What gets disclosed at the moment of appointment? Whether the incoming chief executive keeps a board seat, and how his candidacy was handled, are reasonable things for a market to be told at announcement rather than to reconstruct afterwards.

  • What is the mandate measured against? Kokko is asked to grow direct investments while keeping the per-unit interest stable, from a direct share that fell in the most recent reported period, after a disposal that produced the profit he inherits credit for.

Market Signals

Oura's board is being built for Nasdaq: prospectus reveals $1.21bn in nine-month revenue and four US-market directors

Sep 4, 2026

Oura has filed publicly for a Nasdaq listing in the United States and, according to reporting by The Wall Street Journal, intends to list during September. The Finnish smart ring maker submitted a confidential filing in May. The prospectus arrives with a board reshaped for US public markets, and a Nordic presence now outnumbered on it.

The prospectus filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission shows revenue of $1.21 billion for the nine months ended 30 June 2026, the first three quarters of a fiscal year that ends 30 September, against $697.6 million in the same period a year earlier, a rise of 74%. Full-year FY2025 revenue was $907.9 million, against $406.8 million the year before. The net loss attributable to common shareholders over the same nine months was $924.3 million, compared with $182.8 million a year earlier.

Oura shipped 3.1 million rings in the nine-month period, against 1.8 million a year earlier. Membership revenue reached $240.5 million, up 121%, and paid members doubled to 5 million, the recurring line that will matter most to public-market investors, and the one that turns a hardware company into a subscription business.

The headline loss sits beneath a $985m deemed dividend

Before the deemed dividend attached to preferred shares, Oura's net result for the period was a profit of $60.8 million, against $1.6 million a year earlier. The $924.3 million figure emerges after a $985 million deemed dividend to holders of redeemable convertible preferred shares is deducted. The comparable deemed dividend a year earlier was $184.4 million.

Oura raised more than $1.2 billion privately before this filing. A Fidelity-led round in October 2025 valued the company at $11 billion. The listing could raise up to $3 billion for the company and some of its backers at a valuation exceeding $16 billion, Bloomberg reported on 24 August 2026, a repricing of roughly 45% in under a year. 

The new board adds Robinhood's IPO-era CFO and Wolt's founder

Oura said on 2 September that it will appoint Jason Warnick, Leslie Kilgore, Miki Kuusi and David Sze as directors.

Warnick spent seven years as chief financial officer of Robinhood, where he helped take the company public and through its subsequent life as a listed business. He retired from the role earlier this year and was succeeded by Shiv Verma. Before that he spent nearly two decades at Amazon across finance, investor relations, audit and enterprise risk, and began his career as a CPA at Deloitte & Touche.

Kilgore sits on the boards of Netflix and Pinterest, and has previously served on those of LinkedIn, Medallia and Nextdoor. She was chief marketing officer at Netflix, and held earlier positions at Amazon, Procter & Gamble and Booz Allen Hamilton.

Kuusi co-founded Wolt and led it as chief executive from 2014 until DoorDash acquired the company in 2022. He now oversees DoorDash's international business and serves as chief executive of London-based Deliveroo. 

Sze is a partner at Greylock Partners, where he led investments in Facebook, LinkedIn, Roblox and Pandora. He previously held senior operating roles at Excite and Excite@Home.

The four join Timo Ahopelto, Dennis Durkin, chief executive Tom Hale, Wen Hsieh, Eurie Kim and chairman David Shuman on the board.

"Adding Jason, Leslie, Miki, and David strengthens our board with leaders who know what it takes to build and scale category-defining global businesses," Hale said in the company's statement.

What the appointments say about where Oura's governance now sits

The appointments describe a specific destination. Warnick is a CFO who has already run a listing and the quarterly reporting cycle that follows it. Kilgore brings the consumer-brand seat that US public boards expect. Sze holds an investor seat. None of the three has a Nordic mandate.

That leaves a ten-person board on which Ahopelto and Kuusi are the Nordic voices, at a company founded in Oulu that will report as a US filer under SEC rules rather than the Finnish Corporate Governance Code. For Nordic investors, Oura is on the way to becoming a company you can read about but not vote on in Helsinki, the governance follows the listing venue, and the listing venue is Nasdaq.

Oura is not leaving Finland. The engineers stay, the product stays. What moves is the register, the governance regime and the venue where the company answers for itself. IQM proved that part is a choice, it took both listings. Oura’s prospectus takes one.

Join our Pulse, Best-of-the-Week, and Weekend newsletters

Join our Pulse, Best-of-the-Week, and Weekend newsletters