Changes in Finnair Executive Board

Changes in Finnair Executive Board: Mika Stirkkinen appointed CFO, Pekka Vähähyyppä to leave Finnair; Johanna Karppi appointed SVP People & Culture

Finnair’s Chief Financial Officer, Pekka Vähähyyppä, will leave the company as of 1 July 2019. Mika Stirkkinen (MSc. Econ.), 51, who currently heads Finnair’s revenue management and pricing, has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer and a member of the Finnair Executive Board as of 1 July 2019. Stirkkinen’s previous roles in his career at Finnair include interim Chief Commercial Officer, interim Chief Financial Officer and 12 years as VP Group Treasurer.

Johanna Karppi (LL.M., trained on the bench), 51, has been appointed as Senior Vice President, People & Culture at Finnair as of 1 October 2019. Karppi currently works as SVP, Human Resources at Terveystalo, and has previously held human-resources leadership positions at both Rautaruukki and Orion.

Finnair CEO, Topi Manner, says: "I want to warmly thank Pekka for the great work he has done in Finnair’s transformation, and in developing our financial management over the past years. I wish him every success in his future endeavors. I'm also happy he has agreed to represent Finnair on Norra’s (Nordic Regional Airlines) board of directors."

"I’m very pleased to welcome Mika Stirkkinen to the Finnair Executive Board. In his previous roles, Mika has proven his ability to take on challenging tasks, including serving in interim roles on the Finnair Executive Board."

"We also warmly welcome Johanna Karppi to Finnair. Johanna has a proven track record in developing the employee experience – a key area for our success. Employee and leadership development are extremely important for Finnair. So too are employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction, which strongly correlate with each other and sit together at the core of our strategy."

Reflecting on his tenure at the company, Pekka Vähähyyppä says:

"It has been a pleasure to work at Finnair. Together with the team, we have built an efficient financial organization and processes that have supported Finnair’s good financial performance over the past years and laid a solid foundation for the future. I wish my successor all the best in building on the team's great work as I move on to the next phase in my professional life."

Incoming Chief Financial Officer, Mika Stirkkinen, says working for the company's commercial organization has been a great experience.

"I will now return to the Finance organization to lead that excellent team," says Stirkkinen. "I am very grateful for the opportunity I had to work with the experts in our Commercial unit. This business experience will be incredibly valuable in fostering the closer collaboration between units that is key as we continue to develop Finnair in line with our strategy, on the excellent foundation that Pekka has built."

Incoming SVP, People & Culture, Johanna Karppi, says she has closely followed Finnair’s cultural change over recent years.

"Finnair has done wonderful work with its people, and the blue and white wings are familiar to everyone in Finland. So, I'm both happy and proud to take on this new role," says Karppi. "Personnel are a vital asset for Finnair, and the company has put a lot of effort into developing its employee experience and the well-being of its people. I’m excited to have the opportunity to develop the next phase of this work."