CxO Change

LeadDesk Oyj is overhauling its leadership team, appointing Pekka Alli as chief technology officer, preparing for the departure of CFO Teemu Rautiainen, and moving VP of Engineering Jarno Tenni out of the group management team as the company enters its next growth phase.

Alli, director of engineering & architecture at Finago Group, will join LeadDesk on Sept. 15, 2026. At the same time, Tenni will step down from the group management team and continue as VP of engineering, reporting to the new CTO. Rautiainen, who joined the company in April 2025, will remain in his role until Oct. 2 as LeadDesk searches for a successor. 

LeadDesk, a Finland-listed provider of cloud-based customer communications and contact center software, said Alli brings experience in software architecture, SaaS product development and technology leadership. He joins from Finago Group and previously served as CEO of workforce management software company Planier and held senior architecture roles at Accountor HR Solutions. His background includes software company integrations and platform consolidation, capabilities that have become increasingly relevant following LeadDesk's recent acquisition activity.

"Pekka brings to LeadDesk strong experience in software architecture, SaaS product development and leading technology organizations. He also has practical experience in connecting software companies and platforms from a technology perspective," CEO Olli Nokso-Koivisto said. "Our goal is to build LeadDesk into Europe's most trusted AI-powered customer interaction platform, with a particular strength in the voice channel," he added. 

Alli said he looks forward to developing the company's technology, product development organization, and artificial intelligence solutions together with the existing team.

CFO exits after finance transformation

CFO Rautiainen leaves after roughly 18 months in the role, during which LeadDesk strengthened its reporting capabilities, expanded the use of SaaS metrics in decision-making and completed a broad overhaul of its finance organization.

"I am particularly proud that we have successfully carried out a major transformation of the finance function and established the organisation and operating model needed to support LeadDesk's next phase of growth," Rautiainen said.

His departure comes after a period of improving profitability. LeadDesk reported EUR 39.4 million in revenue in 2025 and achieved a record EBITDA margin of 16.9%. The company has yet to name a successor.

Management team continues to evolve

The June 10 announcements extend a broader reshaping of LeadDesk's leadership team over the past 14 months.

Former CFO Kaisa Rönkkö left in March 2025 and was succeeded by Rautiainen the following month. Saija Pouru departed as VP of operations in June 2025, while Samuel Lehtonen joined the management team in January 2026. In October 2025, Michael Ramm Østgaard, former CEO of acquired subsidiary Zisson, became chief revenue officer as LeadDesk integrated the business into its wider organization. At the same time, VP of Sales Kai Leppänen left the management team and moved into the revenue organization.

Following the September and October transitions, LeadDesk's management team will consist of CEO Nokso-Koivisto, CRO Østgaard, COO Samuel Lehtonen, CTO Alli, and a CFO yet to be appointed.

Kemira Oyj has appointed Tuomas Mäkipeska as its new chief financial officer and member of the group leadership team, effective today.

He will succeed Petri Castrén, who will leave the company as previously announced. Mäkipeska joins Kemira from YIT Oyj, where he has served as CFO, EVP, and deputy to the CEO since 2021.

Besides this appointment, Kemira has enriched its management team by one hire this year, adding Ulrika Dunker as executive vice president of people and culture, based on Listeds data.

Before joining YIT, Mäkipeska spent nearly a decade at Lassila & Tikanoja Oyj in several leadership positions, including CFO and interim president & CEO, and previously worked as a management consultant at Deloitte. He holds a master’s degree from the Helsinki School of Economics.

F-Secure Corporation has appointed Robin Pulkkinen as its next chief financial officer, bringing a seasoned finance executive to a resilient cybersecurity business navigating its next phase of renewal.

Pulkkinen will join F-Secure’s leadership team no later than June 2026, succeeding Sari Somerkallio, who will leave the company following a transition period ending in April, the Helsinki-headquartered cybersecurity group announced today. 

The incoming CFO steps into a company in the midst of strategic repositioning. F-Secure is reshaping itself into an AI-native consumer cybersecurity provider, with new platforms such as the partner business platform Horizon and Halo, a mobile-first scam protection service, scheduled for launch in early 2026. To support this shift, the company has strengthened its leadership team during the year, appointing Chief Product Officer TL Viswanathan and Chief Technology Officer Santeri Kangas, according to Listeds data.

F-Secure’s third-quarter performance in 2025 highlighted resilience against softer consumer demand. Currency-neutral revenue grew by 1.3 percent in the quarter, while reported revenue edged down to EUR 36.1 million due to currency headwinds, the company said in its interim report. Looking ahead, F-Secure has signaled an increased emphasis on partner-led distribution rather than direct consumer sales.

Pulkkinen joins from Revenio Group, where he has served as CFO since 2015. During his tenure, Revenio evolved from a device-focused business into a global eye care diagnostics group, while steadily improving profitability in the past five years. In the third quarter of 2025, Revenio reported net sales growth of 8 percent to EUR 25.9 million, with operating profit rising to EUR 6 million, or 23.2 percent of net sales, underscoring the company’s ability to convert growth into earnings, according to the latest interim report.

Leadership movements accelerated with more exits across Finnish listed companies in November from a month ago, with the most significant activity coming from Dovre Group, Titanium Oyj, WithSecure Oyj, Harvia Group, and Summa Defence, according to Listeds data.

These five companies — spanning renewable energy, cybersecurity, and defence technology — accounted for the largest number of leadership changes during the month. Together, their transitions reinforce a familiar pattern: organisations facing commercial or operational pressure tend to be the most active in reshaping their leadership structures.

Dovre, which offers project management services and builds solar and wind parks, emerged as the most active company by a wide margin, posting eight leadership changes. The company added three board members, removed two, and strengthened its management team with three title reconfigurations, including naming Timo Saarinen acting CEO and interim CFO. 

Dovre’s timing matched a challenging quarter. In the third quarter, Dovre’s revenue fell 10 percent to EUR 32.3 million, and EBIT was negative at EUR -8.7 million, underlining the pressure to regain operational traction. 

Finnish media has monitored the rapid exits at Dovre and Summa Defence with interest — we return to this later — after Journalist Kyösti Jurvelin described management retention at both companies as a “complete mess” in Talouselämä in late November.

After Dovre, investment company Titanium and cybersecurity provider WithSecure follow on the Listeds ranking of fast movers, each recording six leadership changes. At Titanium, all movements took place within management, split evenly between three removals and three additions, including the appointments of interim CEO Katarina Rosenström and CFO Julia Dannberg. WithSecure’s six changes were concentrated at the board level, with four removals and two additions, reflecting a focused governance refresh in a competitive cybersecurity landscape.

Harvia, ranked fourth, recorded five leadership changes in November, combining three board role changes (even though all internal) with one management departure and one addition. The movements came as Harvia delivered a strong third quarter: revenue grew 19 percent, with all segments expanding more than 10 percent and North America rebounding sharply. The expanded board and refreshed management structure signalled Harvia’s intent to support continued international growth while maintaining governance fit for an increasingly competitive global sauna market.

Summa Defence, ranked fifth, recorded four leadership changes, consisting of three management removals and one addition, namely interim CEO Timo Huttunen. Huttunen commented on the management overhaul to Kauppalehti earlier this month: “After appointing a new CEO, it is logical to have organizational changes… something needs to change to move things around at Summa Defence.” 

Summa Defence’s third quarter provides useful context: revenue rose 23.4 percent to EUR 23.2 million, but profitability weakened sharply, with EBITDA falling to EUR -2.9 million following a renewable energy inventory write-down and the sale of Meriaura’s marine logistics. Against this backdrop, the November changes reflected a tightening of operational leadership during a demanding period.

November’s total of 62 moves across boards and management teams was characterised by deliberate recalibration. As 2026 approaches, the month’s reshuffles show companies positioning themselves to navigate a more complex operating environment with clearer governance and reinforced executive teams.

Discover more signals coming from companies such as these on the Listeds data platform here.