Juha Hakkarainen, Lic.Sc. (Agr&For), has been appointed as new Managing Director of Finsilva Plc as of 1 August 2021. Finsilva is one of the largest independent forest owners in Northern Europe holding more than 130,000 hectares and the fourth largest forest owner in Finland.
Juha Hakkarainen has previously held significant positions in the fields of forestry management, coordination and research. He is currently Forest Director of The Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK).
“Juha Hakkarainen has been actively developing international cooperation regarding forestry entrepreneurship and forest ownership. He has also extensive experience in operational forestry, especially in the promotion of forestry business and general forestry interests, both domestically and internationally. He is a forest economist with investment experience, including timberland, within the pension fund industry. In view of the increasingly important role of natural capital and resources in economic development and well-being, Juha Hakkarainen is a dynamic leader with strong and diverse exposure towards an important range of issues in the forestry sector”, says Olli Haltia, Chairman of the Board.
“Finsilva is a major forest owner in Finland, and the asset has played an important role in the long development pattern of the Finnish forestry and forest industries. I am fascinated by the opportunity and challenge to lead Finsilva’s forestry as a modern, sustainable business within the evolving scope of the expanding circular bioeconomy”, says Juha Hakkarainen.
Finsilva’s current Managing Director Harri Viitaniemi will continue as management advisor until the end of 2021, after which he will retire.
“I have been inspired to develop Finsilva’s forestry as a modern business taking into account implications of the surrounding society, including such issues as e.g. biodiversity management. Coinciding with numerous acute issues, we have continued the long and advanced forestry tradition, ranging over more than hundred years, working together with a world-class team of committed forest management professionals. The forests of Finsilva are currently in superb shape and with excellent scope to continue to provide society with diverse economic, ecological and social well-being”, says Harri Viitaniemi.
“During his long and successful career in the position of Managing Director, Harri Viitaniemi has renewed the company’s strategy with market developments, continuously sharpening the operational targets. Finsilva is currently ranked as one of the most advanced forest owners on a European scale. Based on measured statistics, the biological productivity of the company´s forests has risen higher than at any time during the hundred year’s managed history of the forests. On behalf of Finsilva’s Board of Directors, it is my great pleasure to express warm gratitude to Harri for the significant work done for the company”, says Olli Haltia.
Further information:
Harri Viitaniemi, harri.viitaniemi@finsilva.fi, tel. +358 50 370 6902
Juha Hakkarainen, juha.hakkarainen@mtk.fi, tel. +358 400 870 867
Olli Haltia, olli.haltia@dasos.fi, tel. +358 40 901 0338
Finsilva’s owners are Dasos Timberland Fund II (dasos.fi), Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Company (ilmarinen.fi), Metsä Group (metsagroup.com) and MTK (mtk.fi).
