Taneli Tikka appointed managing director of Vake Oy

The Board of Directors of the State Business Development Company (Vake Oy) has appointed Taneli Tikka (40) as the company’s managing director. Tikka is currently Head of Innovation at Tieto Corporation and will take up his new position with Vake Oy by June.

Tikka has a broad track record as CEO in a broad range of technology-driven, high-growth enterprises, as a start-up entrepreneur and as an angel investor. He also has extensive experience of high-growth enterprise funding and ownership transitions. Tikka has additionally held managerial positions in Finnish listed companies and acted as a board member and in an advisory capacity in many companies. Tikka chairs the Technology Industries of Finland’s AI Group, is Finnish Information Processing Association’s ICT Opinion Leader of the Year 2010 and Young Board Professional of the Year 2014. Tikka holds an Executive Master of Business Administration from Aalto University, where he graduated with the best grades of his course that year.

Finland’s goal is to be one of the world’s leading countries in the application of AI and Vake is one tool to achieve that goal. Vake’s role is to innovate and to create conditions for reforming Finland’s economic structure.

“Against this background, Vake’s Board of Directors recognised that Taneli Tikka’s competence and experience are extremely well aligned to our expectations. He is a visionary and has a sound understanding of the development trends in technology. He has amassed strong experience of the creation of new business and investment in high-growth enterprises,” says Reijo Karhinen, Chair of Vake’s Board of Directors.

“Vake has an important role in building a future-proof Finland. Technology impacts Finland in many diverse ways and it is our task is to ensure that we will also continue to make a positive contribution to this future. In this age of a platform economy and AI, Finland has significant opportunities that Vake can help to make good use of,” notes Tikka.

Inquiries:
Joanna Suikio, Administrative Assistant, Prime Minister’s Office, t. +358 295160 152, email [email protected]