Sonata Gutauskaitė-Bubnelienė to lead SEB's Baltic integration; Niina Äikäs moves to Finland

SEB changes Baltic division head and Finland country manager

Sonata Gutauskaitė-Bubnelienė, CEO of SEB Lithuania, has been appointed head of SEB's Baltic division and will join the group executive committee on Sept. 1, 2026. Niina Äikäs, who has led the Baltic division since 2021, will become country manager of SEB in Finland as the Swedish bank merges its Baltic subsidiaries into a single entity to streamline operations across the region.

Gutauskaitė-Bubnelienė will retain her role as country manager and CEO of SEB Lithuania while leading the Baltic division during the ongoing merger process. Äikäs will leave the group executive committee and join SEB's senior leadership committee as part of her move to Finland, SEB announced on July 15. 

The legal merger is expected to be completed in early 2027, creating SEB Bank AS, headquartered in Estonia, while the bank's operations in Latvia and Lithuania will continue as local branches. SEB said earlier that the new structure is intended to increase its corporate financing capacity, simplify governance, and speed up product rollouts across the Baltic markets.

Explaining the decision, President and CEO Johan Torgeby said on July 15: "With more than 25 years at SEB and proven leadership skills across the Baltic organization, Sonata has successfully led our business in Lithuania, delivered strong results and driven important transformation initiatives." He added that Äikäs had successfully led the Baltic business, including the ongoing merger.

Gutauskaitė-Bubnelienė joined the Nordic banking group in 1999. She has held several senior leadership positions, including head of Baltic Retail Banking, and has served as country manager and CEO of SEB Lithuania since 2021. Äikäs joined SEB in 2008 and has held leadership roles, including head of Large Corporates Coverage in Finland and head of SEB in Shanghai, before becoming head of the Baltic division five years ago.

Strong quarter supports leadership transition

The appointments were announced alongside SEB's second-quarter 2026 results. Operating profit before items affecting comparability increased 14 percent year over year to SEK 10.8 billion, while net profit rose 5 percent to SEK 8.7 billion. Return on equity reached 15.7 percent, and the CET1 capital ratio was 17.2 percent. SEB attributed the results to higher net interest income from lending growth, increased Corporate & Investment Banking activity, growth in fee and commission income, and continued cost discipline.

During the earnings call, SEB reaffirmed its long-term financial targets and 2026 cost guidance, while management said fee income is expected to normalize after a record second quarter and that third-quarter activity is likely to be quieter.