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Taija Lehtola, Chief Human Resources Officer and member of the Group Management Team at Sitowise Group Oyj, will step down from her role by September 2026.
Lehtola has led the company’s human resources and culture development since August 2022. CEO Anna Wäck credits her with strengthening people-centric leadership and supporting employee wellbeing, positioning her role at the core of how the organization operates.
Her departure completes a broader shift.
With Lehtola’s exit, Sitowise has now almost entirely rebuilt its executive team in 2026.
Seven out of eight leadership team members have either changed roles or been replaced within the year. Only Daniel Doeser remains from the previous structure.
Over a short period, the company has installed a new CEO, CFO, and multiple business and technology leaders, reshaping its leadership core at speed.
Key leadership changes include:
Anna Wäck appointed CEO in January 19, 2026
Sanna Sormaala joined as CFO on January 7, 2026
Jannis Mikkola promoted to Deputy CEO and Executive Vice President, Technical Consulting (previously EVP, Infrastructure Solutions) on January, 2026
At the same time, several senior leaders have exited, including former CEO Heikki Haasmaa, as well as Turo Tinkanen, Timo Räikkönen, and Kim Strömberg.
Additional leadership appointments include CTO Mikko Korhonen and SVP, Infrastructure Solutions, Elina Väistö, further reinforcing the new structure.
This reset comes just weeks after Sitowise announced a new mid-term strategy to return to profitable growth.
The updated strategy sets clear financial and operational ambitions, including an adjusted EBITA margin above 10% and growth ahead of the market over the next 24 to 36 months.
Notably, the strategy places people at the center. “Empower people” is defined as a key focus area, with the ambition to build a high-performance workplace culture.
That might create a defining tension.
Culture-led leadership and performance-driven execution do not always move in the same direction. When a company resets its leadership while redefining its strategy, it is effectively deciding how that balance will be managed going forward.
Lehtola’s exit sits at that intersection. Chief People Officers often act as carriers of cultural continuity, linking past leadership with future direction. When that role exits after a near-total leadership overhaul, it typically signals that change is wanted, also in the culture.
The extended transition period, with Lehtola remaining until September, suggests a controlled handover. But the real signal lies ahead. The profile of her successor will reveal whether Sitowise doubles down on culture-led leadership or shifts more decisively toward performance and efficiency.
Taija Lehtola has been appointed as Chief Human Resources Officer and member of the executive team at Alko. She will assume her role no later than September.
Most leadership changes are reported individually. What is harder to see, and where the real advantage lies, is the pattern across companies, roles, and timing.
This signal is part of a broader pattern tracked by Listeds Executive Intelligence, where leadership changes, strategy updates, and financial performance are analyzed together.
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