Sanoma Corporation, Stock Exchange Release, 11 February 2015 at 15:00 CET+1
Pekka Soini steps down as CEO of Sanoma Media Finland and member of Sanoma's Executive Management Group on 1 March 2015. He is succeeded in both roles by Pia Kalsta, currently President of Nelonen Media. Kari Laakso, Director Radio at Nelonen Media, steps up and is appointed President of Nelonen Media.
Pekka Soini will continue at Sanoma until the end of 2015 and support the management during the transition period. He will also be responsible for the most important public affairs, stakeholder relations management and specific projects. Soini’s distinguished career of more than 35 years at Sanoma started at Helsingin Sanomat and he has had a significant impact on the success of the company over the years. Soini has been member of Sanoma's Executive Management Group since 2010 and CEO of Sanoma Media Finland since 1 January 2014. In this role he led the merger of Sanoma's Finnish media operations. Soini comments: "Sanoma Media Finland is now an integrated media company with a leading presence across all media platforms including radio, television, newspapers, magazines, digital and mobile media. We have worked hard to lower our cost base, focus on key media brands and structure our operations to facilitate cross media platform cooperation and innovation. The company is now ready to build on this foundation, which makes it a perfect time to hand-over my responsibilities to Pia Kalsta."
"I would like to thank Pekka warmly for his very good work bringing Sanoma Media Finland to where it is today," says Harri-Pekka Kaukonen, President & CEO of Sanoma. "And we will not stop there. We are eager to build on all the hard work Pekka and his team have done already and move the company forward in developing innovative cross media brands and solutions that excite consumers and advertisers alike. I am pleased we have found the right person for that job in-house at Nelonen Media. I am looking forward to working with Pia and I am excited to enter the next phase of Sanoma's transformation in Finland with her: the return to growth."
Pia Kalsta joined Sanoma in 2001 as Marketing Manager at Nelonen Media, after similar roles at SCA Hygiene Products. She quickly climbed through the ranks and was appointed President of Nelonen Media, the radio and television company that is part of Sanoma Media Finland, in 2014, after a period as Acting President. Kalsta is a graduate of the Helsinki School of Economics, where she majored in Marketing. "For me, this is a great opportunity and challenge,” she comments. "Sanoma has all that is needed: amazing brands, a leading market position, good speed in digital developments and a top team. We still have work ahead of us in utilising our full capacity, but also great things to gain.”
Kalsta is succeeded at Nelonen Media by Kari Laakso, currently Nelonen's Director Radio. Laakso joined Nelonen in 2006 and has been responsible for developing Nelonen's leading position in commercial radio in Finland.
Additional information
Sanoma’s Investor Relations, Olli Turunen, tel. +358 40 552 8907
For media inquiries
Sanoma’s Group Communications, Hanna Johde, tel. +358 40 673 8977
Sanoma.com
Get the world. Sanoma helps people access and understand the world.
We believe in a world full of opportunities, feelings, reactions and inspiration. A world that you can reach, influence, explore and share. We want to make it yours.
Sanoma is a front running consumer media and learning company in Europe. In Finland and The Netherlands we are the market leading media company with a broad presence across multiple platforms. Our main markets in learning are Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden. In 2014, Sanoma’s net sales totalled EUR 1.9 billion. Sanoma is listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki stock exchange.