Finnair beginning July 11 will have a new CEO—Turkka
Kuusisto, the carrier announced Thursday. Current CEO Topi Manner will depart
the company on Jan. 15 for a new position as CEO of Elisa Corp. Finnair chief
operating officer Jaakko Schildt will act as interim CEO.
Kuusisto most recently had been CEO of Posti Group Corp.
since 2020, according to Finnair. He previously served in other leadership
positions for that company as well as for Lindorff Group.
“Finnair has restored its profitability after the
historic double crisis, and the company is well positioned to continue to build
a sustainable future, offering excellent connections via its Helsinki hub to
both Finns and to customers traveling between Europe and Asia, the Middle East
and the Americas,” Finnair chair of the board of directors Sanna
Suvanto-Harsaae said in a statement. “Turkka brings to Finnair his strong
understanding of complex industries and his proven people leadership and
strategy skills, which will benefit Finnair as Finnair now moves to the next
phase in its strategy.”
The announcement comes just days after JetBlue
announced its CEO succession plan.
