Wärtsilä EVP Public Affairs and Sustainability Kari Hietanen to retire

Wärtsilä EVP Public Affairs and Sustainability Kari Hietanen to retire

Wärtsilä Executive Vice President, Public Affairs and Sustainability, Kari Hietanen, has informed the company of his intention to retire in the spring of 2026. After serving Wärtsilä in various expert and leadership roles for 37 years, he will step down from the company Board of Management at the end of this year.

As of 1 January 2026, Kari Hietanen’s responsibilities will be redistributed within the Board of Management as follows:

• Public Affairs and Sustainability responsibilities will be transferred to Executive Vice President, Legal and Compliance Nora Steiner-Forsberg
• Cyber Security responsibilities will be transferred to Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Arjen Berends
• Safety and Corporate Security responsibilities will be transferred to Executive Vice President, Human Resources Teija Sarajärvi

Wärtsilä President and CEO Håkan Agnevall says: “Since joining Wärtsilä in 1989, Kari has been instrumental in enabling several transformations of the company. In our current decarbonisation strategy, his responsibility areas of sustainability, public affairs and previously legal affairs have been central to our new direction. His long career exemplifies a journey from an expert to a trusted and respected senior executive, who has consistently supported his team and contributed to the company’s success. On behalf of the entire Wärtsilä team, I would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Kari and wish him all the best in his next chapter.”

Kari Hietanen says: “Wärtsilä has consistently provided me with exciting opportunities to grow in new domains and take on purposeful challenges in major global markets. I have truly enjoyed my versatile and internationally wide-reaching roles, which have allowed me to contribute to decarbonisation of the global energy and marine sectors. Wärtsilä’s strong, values-driven company culture, fostered by passionate and professional people, has enabled the company to reinvent itself numerous times during my tenure. It has been a remarkable experience to be a part of the Wärtsilä team, and a warm thank you to all my colleagues for sharing this journey with me.”

Wärtsilä Board of Management

Following Kari Hietanen’s upcoming retirement, the members of the Board of Management as of 1 January 2026 will be:

• Håkan Agnevall, President & CEO
• Arjen Berends, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
• Tamara de Gruyter, President, Wärtsilä Energy Storage and Executive Vice President
• Roger Holm, President, Wärtsilä Marine and Executive Vice President
• Anders Lindberg, President, Wärtsilä Energy and Executive Vice President
• Teija Sarajärvi, Executive Vice President, Human Resources
• Anu Sirkiä, Executive Vice President, Marketing and Communications
• Nora Steiner-Forsberg, Executive Vice President, Public Affairs and Legal

For further information, please contact:

Anne Alarotu
Head of External Communications
Tel. +358 50 487 1308
anne.alarotu@wartsila.com

Wärtsilä in brief

Wärtsilä is a global leader in innovative technologies and lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets. We emphasise innovation in sustainable technology and services to help our customers continuously improve environmental and economic performance. Our dedicated and passionate team of 18,300 professionals in more than 230 locations in 77 countries shape the decarbonisation transformation of our industries across the globe. In 2024, Wärtsilä’s net sales totalled EUR 6.4 billion. Wärtsilä is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. www.wartsila.com