Insights

What needs to happen for a company to grow, Chairman of Reima board Elina Björklund?

The Growth Collective's annual general meeting confirmed the new composition of the board and published a fresh annual report from last year. The sparring year 2025–2026 shows that Finnish medium-sized companies have a strong will and ability for international growth.

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CEO Kirsi Paakkari believes in a change in consumer purchasing behavior and an increase in values. Proof of this is Kalevala Koru's circular economy concept Preloved, which was launched in 2022. Now Pidetty is growing at a rate of up to 50 percent.

The Growth Collective has awarded its member companies with recognitions aligned with values Courage, Playfullness, Selfless support, and Experience.

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Our new Head of Impact Karoliina Lehtonen brings experience from scaling-up and from strategic business consulting.

The Growth Collective has entered into a partnership with law firm Castrén & Snellman.

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‍The strategic importance of space is growing globally, says Juha Virtanen, CEO of technology company Huld. In September, Huld became part of Gofore. A joint strategy is being built from the perspective of smart industry, security and space business.

Smart roof manufacturer VILPE ​​has expanded to the United States and is exploring opportunities in Japan. The family-owned company, which has undergone a generational change, relies on courage, its own expertise and the ability to utilise partners in its choices.

Picture: Tommi Pietiläinen

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Sofigate, which offers consulting, management services and technology services, wants to develop the future of work. Director Mikko Saari tells us how this is done.

To commemorate the first ten years of the Growth Collective, a Wall of Growth was launched at the Growth Collective Office. Featured are our founding members, the winners of the prestigious "Kultainen Kuokka" growth award, and now also members who have completed ten years in the Growth Collective.

At Prohoc, the business is being transformed from an expert organisation into a more hands-on and diverse business. The family business's fourth phase towards international growth is guided by a clear ownership strategy and confidence in its own expertise.

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Vastuu Group has grown its business by anticipating the future and innovating. The megatrend of responsibility is driving demand for services, but without new ideas, new services will not be created.

Energy infrastructure company Nevel has been on a journey towards climate-positive growth over the past three years. The company invests in carbon-neutral and carbon-negative solutions and has growth with a fast pace, doubling its turnover in the past years. CEO Thomas Luther has learned key lessons along the way about starting new business.

A long-time member of the Growth Collective Board, she has seen how motivated the peer community is to take steps for growth. She urges leaders to spread growth thinking throughout the organisational ranks.

Photo: Marica Rosengard

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The Growth Collective has awarded the "Grasping Global Opportunities" business recognition to Sofigate. The winner was selected in cooperation with the Growth Collective's main partner OP. The award criteria were the pursuit of significant growth and renewal in international markets and the ability to renew structures to support internationalisation.

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The Growth Collective has awarded the "Hyperfocused on the Customer" business recognition to Valo Group. The winner was selected in cooperation with the Growth Collective's main partner Varma. The criteria for the award included, among other things, exceptional ingenuity and creativity in business development and, above all, value produced for the customer.

The Kultainen Kuokka 2025 award of the Growth Collective was given to Matti Pohjola, CEO of Hakonen, for his visionary leadership and the renewal of the century-old family business. Under Pohjola's leadership, Hakonen is now aiming to double its size and open up to international business.

In June 2015, a group of Finnish CEOs and owner-entrepreneurs met for the first time in the Growth Collective sparring team. That meeting was neither an education nor a seminar, but a new kind of confidential space where the pain points of growth, choices and ambition were shared. It started a movement that has affected hundreds of Finnish companies in ten years. Now is the time to celebrate this journey. And not just history, but the fact that we are moving again.

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Jussi Aho is Fira's founding partner and a member of the Board of Directors. Fira Group split in 2022, after which Aho has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Flow Technologies. We asked Aho how radical renewal emerges, progresses and thrives.

The Growth Collective has been awarded the Internationalisation award of the President of the Republic of Finland on 18 November 2022. The award is an annual recognition of Finnish, internationally successful companies and the communities behind them. In addition to the Growth Collective, the companies Andritz Oy, Hartwall Oy Ab and Kempower Oy, whose parent company Kemppi Group Oy is also a member company of the Growth Collective, received the Internationalisation award of the President of the Republic in 2022.

In recent years, Modulight has been receiving attention for its exceptionally high profits and promising growth prospects. Now, the company will invest 23 million euros on expanding its production facilities in Tampere, Hervanta. Seppo Orsila, CEO and entrepreneur of Modulight, says the keys to success have been a great idea, some luck and a lot of work.

ramery is one of the most interesting internationally growing Finnish companies. Framery, a company that manufactures telephone booths in its own factory in Tampere, has grown rapidly from few million to a scaleup earning more than a hundred million euros. 90% of the company's turnover comes from its international market; Framery exports their products to more than 70 countries. What is the secret behind Framery’s rapid internationalisation?