New CEO for Kalaneuvos Oy
Kalaneuvos seeks strong growth and higher business profitability, supported by its strategic cornerstones: increased exports and a stronger brand.
Veijo Hukkanen, founder and CEO of Kalaneuvos, has grown the company from a small fish smokery into the most significant company in the Finnish fish industry. After his successful 50-year career, Hukkanen will focus on the strategic development of family-owned companies in their boards of directors.
Hans-Mikael Helenius has been selected as the new CEO of Kalaneuvos. Helenius will transfer to his new position from Tietokeskus Finland Oy where he worked as the CFO. Previously, he has worked, for example, as the managing director of ALSO Finland Oy. Helenius has been a member of Kalaneuvos Oy’s Board of Directors since June 2020, and he will start as the company’s new CEO on 4 October 2021.
“I have been able to familiarise myself with this success story from Sastamala for a year now. Kalaneuvos is an amazing family-run business, which has no limits. I have always been interested in different parts of business life, and continuous learning is important not only for myself, but also for the company so that we can offer the best customer experience and high-quality products. It is great to start working with our professional personnel, whose wellbeing is important to me. This is a new industry for me, giving me the opportunity to apply everything I have previously learned in a whole new way. Fish is the new black in Finland and globally, and is part of the megatrend of sustainable food production,” says Hans-Mikael Helenius.
“I am happy that we found a young and enthusiastic financial specialist to lead our growing company. We have already learned to know Hans-Mikael during his year as a board member, and he has shown that he is the right man to lead us. After all, our company is showing an excellent potential for growth after our recent major investment,” says Veijo Hukkanen, founder of the company.
Toni Hukkanen will continue as the company’s purchasing director, deputy CEO and a member of the Board of Directors.
“I would like, on my and the board’s behalf, to warmly thank Veijo for all the hard and committed work he has done for the success of Kalaneuvos for all these decades. Under Veijo’s leadership, Kalaneuvos grew from a small home smokery into the industry’s leading company in Finland. I would like to wish the best of success for Hans-Mikael in his new challenging position. I believe that he has everything it takes to run the position successfully, and he is backed by the board’s full support,” says Ilkka Mäkelä, chair of the Kalaneuvos Board of Directors.
Further information: Toni Hukkanen, COO, Kalaneuvos Oy, Tel. +358 50 090 0378