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Kurt Bossuyt, one of Raute's longest-serving executives, will leave the Lahti-based wood technology company as executive vice president of services and a member of the executive board by Sept. 24, 2026, as the company continues reshaping its leadership during a sharp downturn in demand. Raute has launched the search for his successor immediately.
Bossuyt joined Raute in 2016 and has served on the executive board since September 2019, making him, alongside EVP, Wood Processing Jani Roivainen, one of the longest-tenured members of the current leadership team and its only non-Finnish member. His departure will temporarily reduce the executive board from seven members to six until a successor is appointed.
The company acknowledged Bossuyt's role in developing its services business. "I would like to thank Kurt for his valuable contribution in the Executive Board and the development of Raute's Services business unit, and wish him success in his future endeavors," President and CEO Mika Saariaho said in the company’s recent press release.
Bossuyt's departure caps a year of management changes. Arto Kaikkola was confirmed permanently as chief commercial officer in May after initially joining on an interim basis in late 2025, while Timo Kupsanen became EVP, Analyzers, and an executive board member on May 1, 2026, replacing long-serving executive Markus Sirviö in the leadership team.
At board level, Anna Hyvönen joined as a director following the April AGM, while Chair Laura Raitio and Vice Chair Joni Bask remained in place, providing continuity as the executive team evolved.
What Raute is trying to accomplish
Raute is pursuing a strategy designed to make its business more resilient through the cycle while strengthening its position as a technology partner to the global wood products industry.
The company says its purpose is to be "the partner to future-proof the wood industry" and has built its strategy around three priorities: advancing the industry's ESG agenda, growing faster than the market by expanding its business profile, and increasing profitability while reducing earnings volatility.
In the near term, management is focused on delivering its revised 2026 guidance after a sharp deterioration in market conditions. The company expects 2026 net sales of EUR 125 million-160 million, down about 9%-29% from 2025, and comparable EBITDA of EUR 10 million-19 million, down about 27%-62%, after lowering its revenue outlook following weaker demand.
The first quarter illustrated how quickly market conditions deteriorated. Net sales fell 35% year over year to EUR 33.5 million, comparable operating profit halved to EUR 3 million, and the order book declined to EUR 81 million, underscoring the scale of the slowdown.
A central part of Raute's plan is expanding its services business, which generates more recurring revenue through modernization projects, maintenance, and lifecycle support than its equipment business. That makes the search for a new services EVP particularly significant, as the company is relying on services to reduce earnings volatility during weaker investment cycles.
At the same time, Raute is investing in AI-enabled production technologies to support future growth. The company recently introduced production-proven AI defect detection for veneer, plywood and LVL manufacturing and secured an order from Chilean forestry company ARAUCO for AI-based Visual Analyzer R7 panel-repair systems, with deliveries scheduled for late 2026.
Management is also adapting the cost base to lower demand through temporary layoff negotiations covering up to 140 employees in Finland and by transferring technical documentation operations to Etteplan.
Despite the downturn, Raute continues to emphasize shareholder returns and financial strength through a proposed EUR 0.65 per-share dividend for 2025, a share repurchase program launched in February 2026, and repayment of EUR 3 million in convertible junior loans.
Investor watchpoints
Raute enters the second half of 2026 with a leadership team still taking shape.
CCO Arto Kaikkola was confirmed in May, Timo Kupsanen only recently assumed responsibility for the analyzers business, and the services unit now faces a leadership transition just as management is relying on recurring service revenue to reduce earnings volatility.
How quickly Raute appoints a successor, and whether the EUR 81 million order book reported at the end of the first quarter begins to recover, will be key indicators of whether the company can deliver its revised 2026 guidance.
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