Finnair names key appointments to Executive Board
Arti Zeighami, incoming Chief Digital Officer, Finnair (left) and Kaarina Ståhlberg, incoming Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Finnair
Finnair has appointed Arti Zeighami (Electrical Engineering studies, KTH Royal Institute of Technology; Business and Economics studies, Stockholm University) as Chief Digital Officer as of August 19. Finnair’s current Chief Digital Officer Antti Kleemola will leave Finnair, the press release said. He will support a smooth handover of CDO duties until the end of September.
"Finnair is an iconic Finnish brand with a unique role in connecting Finland with the world. I have great respect for the people I have met and the strong capabilities already in place. I look forward to working with my new colleagues and contributing my experience in digital, data and AI transformation and together create even better experiences for our customers,” said Zeighami.
Finnair has also appointed Kaarina Ståhlberg (Master of Laws, LL.M) as Senior Vice President and General Counsel as of August 31. Finnair’s current Senior Vice President Legal, Sami Sarelius, will leave Finnair and focus on independent advisory roles. He will ensure a smooth transition by working as an Executive Advisor until the end of the year.
"Finnair has strong values, and aviation business combines logistics and human-centric services in a unique way. The blue and white wings hold a special place in the heart of Finns, and I really look forward to getting to work with Finnair’s top professionals,” said Ståhlberg.
Zeighami previously served as Chief Data & Analytics Officer at H&M Group. He joins Finnair from Boston Consulting Group (BCG), where he was a Partner & Director and served as Senior Advisor focusing on AI scaling.
Ståhlberg has served as Assistant General Counsel in Nokia and as General Counsel in Posti Group and in Fortum. In addition, she serves as a member of the Board in certain Finnish listed companies.
"I would like to warmly thank Sami for his long and distinguished career at Finnair and for supporting the company's business through very different phases. I also thank Antti for his strong contribution to the development of modern sales channels, in which Finnair is a global pioneer. I wish both Sami and Antti the best of success also in future,” said Turkka Kuusisto, CEO, Finnair.
Kuusisto also expressed a warm welcome to Zeighami and Ståhlberg in an August press release.
"Arti brings exceptional expertise in the rapid digitalisation of consumer business, and Kaarina has extensive experience in consumer business in a changing environment. Both are highly important as we systematically execute Finnair’s strategy for profitable growth in a global market environment," he said.
