Winds of change are once again blowing through Aktia's board

Translation: Original published in Finnish on 9/8/2025 at 8:03 am EEST.

Aktia announced that its Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Matts Rosenberg, is stepping down from his position in the middle of his term. The bank's former CEO, Juha Hammarén, is proposed as the new chair and board member.

Changes continue in Aktia's board

Aktia’s Board of Directors has recently undergone several changes. First, the composition of the Board of Directors was significantly reformed at the 2025 Annual General Meeting. After this, Carl Haglund, one of the newly elected members, left his board position in June after being chosen as Aktia's next CEO, and now the current chair, Matts Rosenberg, is stepping down from his role after moving to become Solidium's CEO. We do not find Rosenberg’s departure surprising, as in addition to the new CEO position, his mandate was strongly linked to the former major owner RG Partners, which sold its stake at the end of August.

New chair selection emphasizes continuity of operations

With Rosenberg’s resignation, the number of Aktia’s board members would decrease to five, so the Shareholders’ Nomination Board proposes that Juha Hammarén be added to the Board, also serving as Aktia’s chairperson until the next Annual General Meeting in spring 2026. Hammarén has a long history in the company's management, starting in 2014, most recently serving as Aktia's CEO between February 2023 and May 2024. We find Hammarén's quick return to a key role in the company somewhat surprising, but on the other hand, given that this is a transitional period, a strong background with Aktia is also beneficial for business continuity.

In any case, Rosenberg's departure can be considered a loss for Aktia, as he played a strong role in the planning and implementation of the recent strategy, including through leadership appointments. In addition, the general turnover among both Aktia's management and employees has recently been high, which, in our estimation, slows down and complicates the advancement of key development projects. Thus, the situation should be stabilized so that positive results can be seen from the change program aimed at revenue growth.