Aktia changes CEO

Translation: Original published in Finnish on 6/13/2025 at 7:36 am EEST.

Aktia announced on Thursday that it will replace its CEO. Carl Haglund, a member of the board of directors, has been appointed as the new CEO. The previous CEO, Aleksi Lehtonen, is leaving his position immediately.

New CEO found within the board

Carl Haglund has served as the CEO of Veritas, a pension insurance company, for the past three years. According to the press release, he will start working at Aktia no later than September, possibly due to his period of notice from his previous employer.

Initially, he will serve in a designated key executive role before moving on to become CEO after an induction program. We understand that this is a common practice for individuals without previous bank management experience, and its purpose is to ensure they are fit for the job, as required by regulation. Meanwhile, Haglund's position on Aktia's board will end immediately.

A surprising change

The change in CEO came as a complete surprise, as Lehtonen had only been in charge of the company for a year. In an interview with Kauppalehti, Matts Rosenberg, the chairman of the board, commented that the company needed a different type of leadership at this stage. Therefore, the board did not consider Lehtonen the appropriate individual to execute Aktia's growth strategy. However, no changes are expected to the strategy communicated in February.

Haglund, on the other hand, may be seen as a somewhat surprising choice since he has no experience directing a bank. Nevertheless, in addition to his board role at Aktia, he has served as the CEO of Veritas and the head of Accenture's Nordic banking and insurance business unit, so he should have an understanding of banking, along with his management experience.

We interpret this as meaning that Haglund was chosen specifically to play the role of change manager, which gives the rest of the management team a greater role in developing banking and wealth management operations. As a member of Aktia's board, Haglund will certainly share the board's vision for the company's strategic direction. Therefore, change can be a positive thing if progress has seemed too slow. On the other hand, the rather wobbly CEO position also raises questions about whether Aktia's board and owners have the perseverance to implement the strategy in the long term.