Sami Riekkola (M.Sc. Eng.) has been appointed business line President, Pulp and Energy, at Valmet as of 1 October, 2022. Sami Riekkola currently holds the position of Business Line President, Automation Systems, at Valmet. In his new position, he will continue as a member of Valmet’s Executive Team reporting to President and CEO Pasi Laine.
Bertel Karlstedt, the current President of Valmet’s Pulp and Energy business line, will concentrate on leading ongoing, large customer delivery projects within the Pulp and Energy business line supporting the development of long-term customer relationships as Senior Vice President reporting to Sami Riekkola.
Sami Riekkola started his career at Valmet in 1998. He has been the President of Automation Systems business line and a member of Valmet’s Executive Team since 2018. Before this, he worked in various automation positions at Valmet in Europe and Asia.
«In this development phase of our Pulp and Energy business, we together saw the need to change responsibilities and renew roles. Sami Riekkola has led Valmet’s Automation Systems business line successfully since 2018. Sami is strongly customer-oriented paired with deep business understanding and has demonstrated his ability to consistently improve business, sales, and profitability. This provides a good basis for renewing and developing our Pulp and Energy business and its competitiveness on the global market. I would like to thank Bertel Karlstedt for his long-term and committed work in leading the business line and as a member of our Executive Team. In his new role, Bertel will continue to support the Pulp and Energy business line in our important projects and customer relationships», says Pasi Laine, President and CEO, Valmet.
The recruitment of Sami Riekkola’s successor as President, Automation Systems business line, will commence soon.