Jyrki Vainionpaa has been appointed as a member of Ahlstrom’s board of directors. Vainionpaa, who is independent of the company and non-independent of its significant shareholders, also assumes the role of president and CEO of A. Ahlstrom Corporation. Lasse Heinonen, who left the position as the president and CEO of A. Ahlstrom Corporation on December 8, leaves his position as a member of Ahlstrom’s board of directors.

Vainionpaa is also a board member in Terrafame, a company that supplies responsibly produced chemicals to the global battery industry. He was most recently the CEO of Finnish transport company Koiviston Auto, which is a portfolio company of CapMan, a Nordic private asset management and investment company. He has previously been CEO of Adven, a company producing industrial energy solutions, and deputy CEO, COO, and CFO of Vapo, a developer and supplier of bioenergy. He has also worked at Nokia, Dresdner Kleinwort, and McKinsey, and he has a broad experience of strategy and M&A, the company said in a press release.

“I’m happy to welcome Vainionpaa to Ahlstrom’s board. Vainionpaa’s background in strategy and leading companies in different sectors will bring valuable insight and perspective as Ahlstrom moves forward on its growth transformation journey. I wish to thank Lasse for his work and dedication on Ahlstrom’s board during the past five years,” said Ivano Sessa, chairman of the board.