Valio names new CEO

Valio’s board of directors has appointed executive vice president Annikka Hurme CEO of Valio as of 6 October 2014. Outgoing CEO Pekka Laaksonen is being released from his duties on the same day. As a long-time Valio employee, Hurme has worked in a variety of positions since joining the company in 1989 and been a member of the Valio group executive noard from 2004. “A CEO with a thorough knowledge of Valio and the dairy industry is best placed to lead the company in the current challenging market conditions where Valio is being tested both by the economic slump in Europe and import embargo imposed by Russia,” says Antti Rauhamaa, chairman of Valio’s board of directors.

“We have to look forward and ensure that Valio makes the tastiest and most innovative products on the market. The profits those create, sound co-operation with our customers and the efficiency and expertise in our own operations help Valio secure the operating prerequisites for Finnish milk production, which is our key task,” Hurme says.