Experience

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Summary

  • Managing Director, Aari Isännöinti Oy
  • Managing Director, The Finnish Housing Fair Corporation – Osuuskunta Suomen Asuntomessut
  • Director, Eurospar supermarket chain & Director of retail network, Spar Finland plc.
  • Manager, Du Pont (Finland)
  • Manager, Neste Liikennepalvelu Oy

Managing Director

Aari Isännöinti Oy

2016 – Present

  • Real estate management company, turnover 2.0 milj.€, 24 employees in four major cities in Finland
  • Digitalisation, change management and increase of turnover in focus

Managing Director

The Finnish Housing Fair Corporation – Osuuskunta Suomen Asuntomessut

September 2003 — 2016

Strategic and Operational management of the entire organisation. Accountable for Corporate External Relations and Strategic Planning.

  • Screening and selection of the Holiday Housing Fair and Finnish Housing Fair sites, negotiations and contracts with the hosting Fair municipalities. Management of the long-term land use and building projects for the 2010 Kuopio Housing Fair, the 2011 Mäntyharju Holiday Housing Fair, the 2011 Kokkola Housing Fair, the 2012 Tampere Housing Fair and the 2013 Hyvinkää Housing Fair. Planning for the 2013-2015 Fairs. Planning for the 2013-2015 Fairs.
  • Marketing, planning and organisation of the biggest annual public event in Finland.
  • Management and development of an extensive contact network. Management of negotiations for commercial contracts.
  • Well-managed corporate communications reinforce the positive corporate image, brand and reputation of the organisation, and forge a favourable operating environment. These are key success factors for the Housing Fairs. Personal leadership skills crucial for successful Housing Fair operations.
  • Media relations: The Finnish Housing Fair gains extensive media publicity. In 2006, for instance, 300 journalists attended the Press Conference at the Espoo Housing Fair, and a total of 1200 journalists (Finnish and foreign) visited the Housing Fair. Annually, the average number of journalist on site has been 300.
  • Work also entails opportunities for lecturing and presentations. Annually also some national TV and Radio appearances.

Director, Eurospar supermarket chain & Director of retail network, Spar Finland plc.

Spar Finland plc.

November 1997 — September 2003

Accountable for 320 retail outlets. Principal accountabilities: Business site acquisition, building and maintenance, corporate security and safety, management of business site lease agreements, concept development, retail outlet design.

  • Total annual investments EUR 8-15 million. Annual lease turnover EUR 20 million.
  • Work in the Management Team, strategic planning of a listed company. Expert contributions to the Board of Directors’ meetings as required.
  • Accountability for External Relations and PR related to business site acquisitions.

2001-2003 Additionally also Director of the Eurospar chain:

  • 11 Eurospar retail outlets, annual turnover 110 million euro.
  • Profit responsibility for the outlets: Guidance and steering of the network, shop managers’ supervision, Human Resource Management, concept development, marketing, pricing and product assortments.

1998-2003 Participation in marketing and operating concept development for Spar International.

  • International meetings in Amsterdam, pilot projects e.g. in Greece, Austria and Hungary.
  • Various fact-finding tours and study trips in the USA and Canada organised by Spar International.

2000-2003 Participation in Axfood AB’s international co-operation in Training, Concept Development and Corporate Safety and Security.

2001-2003 Project: Strategic plan (Axfood Ab, Sweden) for chain concept change (“Willies in Finland”).

Manager, Finland

Du Pont

March 1993 — November 1997

Accountable for the construction of the JET retail station network in Finland. Engagement in the construction of the Pansio import terminal. Acquisition of retail station sites, building of the stations and the total operational infrastructure.

  • Corporate external relations: Lobbying local and national politicians, disseminating information to the Finnish Government (DuPont was the first oil company to enter and to establish itself in Finland since World War II). The state oil company Neste was concerned over their refinery economies as DuPont began to import to Finland MTBE gasoline with a tax relief. This became an issue leading e.g. to competing oil companies trying to complicate DuPont’s business site acquisitions.
  • Work involved co-operation with e.g. Director General of the Finnish Competition Authority, Mr. Matti Purasjoki and with Professor of Environmental Law of University of Helsinki, Mr. Vesa Majamaa).
  • Work also entailed debate with the Ministry of Environment on interpretations of the Finnish Building Code.
  • Member of the Retail Station Committee of the Finnish Oil and Gas Federation. Participation in the meetings of the Federation’s Board of Directors.
  • Membership in the Nordic JET Retail Network Marketing and Concept Development Working Group. Participation in Nordic strategic planning. Reporting to Mr. Pontus Holmström, Stockholm
  • Reporting language English, working language Swedish.
  • The goal of a five percent market share in Finland with a retail network of 60 stations was achieved in five years with a much smaller network of only 30 stations.

Manager

Neste Liikennepalvelu Oy

April 1990 — March 1993

1990-1991 Kesoil Oy (Tampere), Project Manager

  • Managment of building projects and reorganisation of the Kesoil Motorest network.
  • Development of the Motorest service station concept.
  • Largest Project: Kainuun portti, Kajaani.

1991–1992 Neste Liikennepalvelu Oy (currently Neste Markkinointi pbc.), Project Manager.

  • Management of the incorporation of the Kesoil, Finnoil and Union retail station networks.
  • Development of the new Neste retail network concept.

1992-1993 Neste Liikennepalvelu Oy (currently Neste Markkinointi plc.), Project Manager.

  • Via Baltica Project (Poland, the Baltic States, Russia)
  • Building up the Neste service station networks in Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland in line with strategic plan of Neste Plc.
  • Evaluation and selection of sites, leadership, outsourcing of project planning and scheduling, localization of the concept. Working inside the target markets, getting acquainted with the local modes of operation. Training the local managers into the concept.
  • Challenging projects in constantly changing operating environments. A special challenge was the threat to staff safety and security.
  • Largest Project: the Neste service stations in Narva and in Vyborg.