President and CEO of Patria Group to change as of August, 15, 2016
The current President and CEO of Patria Group Heikki Allonen will retire in August as agreed. He has been leading Patria since August 2008. He will continue actively as a board member at various companies outside Patria.
Patria’s Board of Directors has appointed Olli Isotalo, 57, Master of Science (Eng.), President and Chief Executive Officer as of August, 15 2016. Currently he is leading Kalmar business unit at Cargotec, where he has worked in various positions since 1993
"I want to thank Heikki Allonen warmly for the excellent work. Patria’s financial development has been positive during the eight years under his leadership, and the company has strengthened its position as a strategic partner of the Finnish Defence Forces and at the same time the company has been successful in export markets. He has developed Patria in the long term and concluded several significant projects. And now Patria is facing a new, interesting era with the new expanded ownership structure; and at the same time having a new President and CEO with significant international experience, who has a firm knowhow leading Nordic companies successfully. Olli Isotalo has broad and strong experience concluding and implementing change processes determined. I’m confident that under his leadership Patria will be renewed and the positive development will continue", says Christer Granskog, Chairman of Patria’s Board of Directors.
"Working as a President and CEO at Patria has been a very interesting period in my career path, and time has really been flying during the eight years. The company is in a good shape and it has a very professional personnel, which has enabled the continuous and active development work: Millog-partnership has been expanded; the corruption doubts are history; the company is now a significant player at the defence business; the company has a new, strong minority owner and in front we see the history’s biggest defence purchases in Finland. This is a natural phase to have a new President and CEO for Patria. I want to thank Christer Granskog as well as the whole Board of Directors for the excellent co-operation during these eight years”, says Heikki Allonen.
"Patria is now facing new challenges, and I’m confident that together with the competent personnel and management supported by the new Board of Directors we can capture the new possibilities in front of us. I’m extremely excited to move on to the new business area for me and to a company, which has an important role in this business”, says Olli Isotalo.
Olli Isotalo – CV
President, Kalmar
b. 1959, Finnish, M.Sc. (Eng.)
Employed by Cargotec since 1993 and the Member of the Executive Board since 2006.
Primary working experience:
Executive Vice President, MacGregor 2006–2012
President, Bromma Conquip AB 2003–2006
Managing Director, Velsa Oy 1999–2002
VP, Technology and Production Development, Kalmar Industries AB 1997–1999
Key positions of trust:
Member of the Board at Componenta Corporation
Further information:
Birgitta Selonen, VP Corporate Communications, phone +358 40 869 2043, [email protected]
Patria is a trusted provider of defence, security and aviation life-cycle support services and technology solutions. Patria has operations and projects in countries such as Finland, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Poland, United Arab Emirates, USA and South Africa. Versatile duties employ today some 2,800 skilled professionals.
