Our team

I am a former Air Force General, bringing broad and fresh perspectives to the leadership of the Defence Forces.

I have served as the Commander of the Air Force as well as in diverse positions at all levels of the Defence Forces. During my 35-year career as a fighter pilot, I have gained profound expertise in developing the capabilities of individuals, teams, and organizations. Today, I apply this experience in supporting companies in areas such as operational leadership, administration, and defence technology development. I also have experience in personnel management and recruitment from my role as Head of the Personnel Division at the Air Force Headquarters. In this role, I led the planning of a new personnel and unit structure as part of a major reform of the Defence Forces. The open and collaborative approach of the Air Force received wide recognition, even though the reform involved significant personnel reductions and transfers.

Throughout my career, I have led and participated in several international military and defence projects. I served as the director of the HX project, responsible for the most expensive procurement in Finland’s history, replacing the Hornet fighters with a new multirole fighter. I also led the Air Force’s NATO Tactical Evaluation project, in which Finland became the first non-NATO country to successfully pass the evaluation. During my tenure as Commander, the Air Force was integrated into NATO’s air and missile defence system as Finland joined NATO.

In all these tasks, my leadership has been guided by values – teamwork, people’s development, meaningfulness and accountability in work, as well as strengthening resilience – which are reflected in a solution-oriented approach and the ability to create sustainable success in times of change.