Finnair has appointed Turkka Kuusisto as its new CEO, succeeding Topi Manner who will leave the company on 15 January 2024. 

Kuusisto, who will join the airline on 11 July 2024 at the latest, was most recently with Finnish postal company Posti Group Corporation, where he has served as the CEO since 2020. Prior to this, the 44-year-old executive held senior leadership positions in Posti Group Corporation and Lindorff Group. 

Finnair has restored its profitability after the historic double crisis, and Sanna Suvanto-Harsaae, chair of the board of directors, said the new CEO will drive the next phases of Finnair’s strategy. 

“The company is well positioned to continue to build a sustainable future, offering excellent connections via its Helsinki hub… between Europe and Asia, the Middle East, and Americas,” commented Suvanto-Harsaae, who is also the chairman of the board at Posti Group.

“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,” he noted.   

During the transition period, Kuusisto will continues in his CEO role at Posti, whilst Jaakko Schildt, chief operating officer of Finnair, will act as interim CEO.