Finnair CEO to resign
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The CEO of Finnair, Mika Vehviläinen, has announced that he is to leave the company to take charge of Cargotec, as of 28 February.
“It has been a great experience to head Finnair and to take part in the enormous transformation that the aviation business is currently undergoing,” said Vehviläinen. “I have enjoyed leading the change at Finnair and I have had the privilege to work with an excellent team – even if there have been some tough moments as well. Together with the entire Finnair team, during the past three years we have managed to implement several changes, some of them difficult, and improve Finnair’s competitiveness. I believe now is a good time to leave Finnair in the hands of my future successor. The company is heading towards a positive financial result and we are in a better position to build the kind of Finnair that upcoming major investments require.”
“It has been great to see how passionate our employees and many other people are about Finnair. I will now become a Finnair client, and I am sure that the blue and white Finnair aircraft will continue to make me feel warm and at home. I have been offered a new, fascinating position, which is not very often available. In my new role I will be able to draw on my entire earlier experience, while also being given the opportunity to learn yet another sector and work for the Finnish industry. I have now made the decision to take on this new challenge,” he added.
Harri Sailas, chairman of the Finnair Board of Directors said: “Mika has proven to be a strong change leader, who has developed Finnair in a determined manner to be viable in the face of the aviation industry’s transformation. While I regret the departure of Mika, Finnair has today a very strong executive management team and a very experienced Board of Directors. Both will ensure the momentum of the positive change at Finnair will be maintained while the search for a new CEO is underway. The search for a new CEO has commenced and we of course hope that the period of transition will be as short as possible.”