Bio Rex Lasipalatsi
Mannerheimintie 22–24
00100 Helsinki
Krogerus Transactions Forum 2026 – Technology and Innovation: Shaping the Champions of Tomorrow
Wednesday, 30 September 2026 | 12:00–18:00
Bio Rex Lasipalatsi, Mannerheimintie 22-24, 00100 Helsinki
Join us in September for the Krogerus Transactions Forum 2026, our exclusive live event bringing together leading business executives, investors and decision-makers to explore the forces shaping the future of transactions and the economy. Be part of a forward-looking, positive conversation as we turn our focus to the role of technology and innovation in driving growth, competitiveness and value creation in Finland.
At a time when technological progress is accelerating and reshaping markets globally, innovation has become a defining factor in determining which companies ‒ and which countries ‒ win the future. The ability to innovate increasingly determines where value is created. With its strong technological expertise and vibrant university commercialisation ecosystem, Finland is uniquely positioned in this transformation and equipped to offer a compelling environment for future-focused business and investment.
Under the theme Technology and Innovation: Shaping the Champions of Tomorrow, the forum will bring together strategic and practical perspectives on value creation. The programme will explore how innovation influences shareholder value and capital allocation while also providing insights from entrepreneurs on commercialising ideas and scaling emerging technologies. Together, these perspectives offer a comprehensive view of how Finland can continue to strengthen its position at the forefront of global innovation and future value creation.
Featured speakers include:
- Justin Hotard, President and CEO, Nokia
- Jan Goetz, CEO & Co-Founder, IQM Quantum Computers
- Bengt Maunsbach, Partner, Altor
- Sakari Manninen, Co-Founder, The Long Drink Company
- Matts Rosenberg, CEO, Solidium
- Annina Salvén, COO, BIT ODD
- Björn Ullbro, CEO, Evac Group
- Antti Vasara, Chair of the Board of Directors, University of Helsinki, QMill and Semicon, Venture Partner, Kvanted
- Ville Voipio, Chair of the Board, Technology Industries of Finland and Vaisala
- Maria Wasastjerna, Managing Partner & Co-founder, Kvanted
The full agenda will be released closer to the event.
The event is hosted by Managing Partner Mårten Knuts, Partners Marcus Möller (Head of M&A), Johan Aalto, Antti Luhtala, Annika Schauman and Jasmin Wardi, as well as other Krogerus practitioners.
Meet our speakers
President and Chief Executive Officer
Nokia
Justin is a passionate believer in the power of technology to solve global challenges and advance human progress. Throughout his career, Justin has driven innovation, technology leadership and shareholder value creation at global tech companies.
Justin was appointed as Nokia’s President and CEO on April 1, 2025. Prior to Nokia, he was at Intel as Executive Vice President and General Manager, Data Center & AI Group. In this role, he was responsible for a significant expansion of Intel’s data center and AI business. Between 2015 and 2024, Justin worked for Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), rising through several leadership roles and serving as a member of the executive committee. His last role was Executive Vice President and General Manager, High-Performance Computing, AI & Labs. In this role, he delivered the world’s first exascale supercomputer for the US Department of Energy, and he positioned the company to be at the forefront of AI, quantum computing and sustainability research. Previously, Justin held several leadership positions at NCR Corporation and Symbol Technologies. He started his career at Motorola, where he was an engineer deploying mobile networks for US carriers. Justin holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He is based at Nokia’s headquarters in Espoo, Finland. In his spare time, Justin enjoys spending time with his family and skiing, and is an avid ice hockey and English football fan.
CEO & Co-founder
IQM Quantum Computers
Dr. Jan Goetz is the CEO and co-founder of IQM Quantum Computers, which he spun out of Aalto University and VTT in 2018. He has raised over $600M and is leading IQM's planned listing on a major U.S. exchange and a leading Nordic exchange — which would make IQM the first European quantum company to go public.
Jan holds a doctorate in superconducting quantum circuits from TU Munich and is a docent at Aalto University. He serves on the European Quantum Industry Consortium and as an EIC Ambassador and is a Global Innovator at the World Economic Forum.
Partner, Head of the Industrial Sector
Altor
Bengt Maunsbach is a Partner at Altor and Head of the Industrial Sector representing current and past companies like Evac, Piab, FLSmidth, Stegra, Trioworld and many more. Bengt joined Altor in 2004, shortly after its founding, and has been part of the firm’s journey since then. Bengt is currently on the Boards of Eleda, Gunnebo and Trioworld. Prior to joining Altor, he spent 10 years at Boston Consulting Group in Stockholm and Chicago. Previous academic background includes a MSc from Stockholm School of Economics with exchange studies at The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Co-Founder
The Long Drink Company
Sakari Manninen is a Co-Founder of The Long Drink Company, which he and his Co-Founders launched in the US in 2018 to bring Finland's iconic lonkero drink to an untapped market, and built arguably the most successful Finnish consumer brand to break into the American market. What started with pouring samples in New York liquor stores grew into a top 5 spirit-based RTD in the US, the fastest-growing spirits brand over 1M cs globally in 2022, and 3.3 million cases sold annually. Along the way the brand attracted investors including Miles Teller, Jay-Z's Marcy Venture Partners, DJ Kygo and Rickie Fowler. In April 2026, the company was acquired by Mark Anthony Group, the world's largest RTD company and maker of White Claw.
CEO
Solidium
CEO of Solidium, former CEO of Rettig, and having worked as a private equity investment professional at Industri Kapital, Matts brings over two decades of experience in active ownership, investments and value creation.
He currently serves as Vice Chair at Terveystalo and has held prior board roles in a number of public companies, PE-owned companies, and family-owned companies. Matts is also active in several public company Board nomination committees.
His deep expertise in corporate governance and value creation makes him a leading voice in Finnish business. Matts holds a Ph.D. in Finance from Hanken School of Economics.
CEO
Evac Group
Björn Ullbro is the Chief Executive Officer of Evac Group, a global leader in integrated water, waste and wastewater management solutions, as well as corrosion protection and marine growth prevention systems for the marine, offshore and land-based industries.
Since joining Evac in 2021, Björn has led the company through a period of strategic transformation and renewed ambition. Before Evac, he spent more than a decade at Wärtsilä in senior leadership roles spanning strategy, energy services and regional business, developing deep expertise in complex global operations and large-scale service businesses. Earlier in his career, he worked at Shell as a business analyst, building a strong analytical foundation and commercial mindset.
Björn holds an MSc in Accounting and Finance from Hanken School of Economics and a BSc from the University of Gothenburg. He is known for a leadership philosophy grounded in accountability, transparency and clear, measurable targets—principles that continue to shape Evac’s performance and culture.
Chair of the Board of Directors, University of Helsinki, QMill and Semicon
Venture Partner, Kvanted
Antti Vasara is a Venture Partner at Kvanted, focusing on industrial applications in the Nordics and Central Europe. He chairs the University of Helsinki board and quantum startups QMill and SemiQon, while serving on boards for several startups and large-cap companies. Previously CEO of VTT, Antti held roles at Nokia and McKinsey. He serves as Finland’s Special Envoy for Technology and sits on the EIC board. He has also advised the European Commission and Finnish government on innovation policy. Finally, he holds a doctorate in Technical Physics from Aalto University.
Chair of the Board
Technology Industries of Finland and Vaisala
Ville Voipio is Chair of the Boards of Vaisala and Technology Industries of Finland, and Professor of Practice in Sustainable Global Business at the University of Turku. He is also actively involved with startups and deep tech ventures working at the intersection of sustainability and digitalisation.
He is known as an evangelist of sustainable business, and his work focuses on megatrends from climate change and energy transition to artificial intelligence and new ownership models. Alongside board work in listed companies, Voipio is involved in commercialising research-driven innovations and building businesses that aim to stay relevant in a rapidly changing world.
Co-Founder and Managing Partner
Kvanted
Maria Wasastjerna, PhD, is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Kvanted, a Nordic venture capital firm investing in emerging technologies such as robotics, AI, and quantum. With a 15-year background in international business law, she moved into venture to help startups turn early-stage innovation into scalable industry-shaping companies. Maria is also Co-Founder and host of the business podcast Leadcast.
Managing Partner
Krogerus
Mårten represents a wide range of clients in cross-border and domestic corporate transactions. He regularly advises boards in listed companies on corporate governance matters and assists in strategic disputes pertaining to complex regulatory matters. Mårten is described as being very attentive, flexible and easy to get on with. Mårten also serves as the firm’s managing partner.
Partner, Head of Mergers & Acquisitions
Krogerus
Marcus heads our Mergers & Acquisitions practice. He represents clients in Finnish and cross-border corporate transactional assignments and real estate matters. His clients include private equity and real estate investors, financial institutions and leading Nordic and international corporations. Marcus' areas of specialisation include advising clients on their acquisitions and disposals, joint ventures, as well as on all types of private equity assignments, including fund formation and day-to-day operations of private investment funds.
Partner
Krogerus
Johan Aalto is one of the most experienced M&A lawyers in Finland. He has been involved in many of the largest and most complex corporate transactions, both public and private. Johan advises regularly Board of Directors and the management on corporate governance issues and chairs the Annual General Meeting of several large and midsized public companies. In 2016 Johan was awarded the honorary title "Lagman" by the President of the Republic of Finland. He joined Krogerus in 2024.
Partner
Krogerus
Antti's practice focuses on M&A transactions, with a particular focus on complex private equity and cross-border transactions, on which he has extensive experience both from Finland and abroad. From 2018 until 2021, Antti worked as a New York qualified associate at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP in London, where he advised some of the largest private equity sponsors in the world. Antti is a graduate of the University of Helsinki, Aalto University School of Business and Harvard Law School. He is also a member of the New York Bar.
Partner
Krogerus
Annika's practice focuses on M&A transactions, with a particular focus on complex private equity and cross-border transactions. She has extensive experience in advising both international and domestic private equity sponsors and corporate clients in complex cross-border M&A, joint ventures, investments and refinancing transactions. From 2014 until 2018, Annika worked as an investment professional at EQT Partners in Stockholm, where she focused on Nordic and European private equity investments. Annika is a graduate of the University of Helsinki and Aalto University School of Busines
Partner
Krogerus
Jasmin focuses particularly on private M&A transactions. She has gained an extensive understanding of complex private equity and cross-border transactions through regularly advising corporations and private equity investors in diverse Finnish and international transactions. In addition, Jasmin assists clients in their daily corporate matters.
Registration
Registration is open until Friday, 18 September or until the event is fully booked. As places at the event are limited, we encourage you to register at your earliest convenience.
Kindly note that, due to high interest, access to the event is by invitation only.
Event venue
The Krogerus Transactions Forum 2026 will be held at Bio Rex Lasipalatsi, a unique event space in the heart of Helsinki.
Bio Rex Lasipalatsi
Mannerheimintie 22–24
00100 Helsinki
Krogerus Transactions Forum 2025
Couldn't make it to the Krogerus Transactions Forum 2025? With a record crowd, last year’s event brought together leading voices to explore the evolving dynamics of ownership and value creation in a changing world. Find out more on the event website.
About Krogerus
We lead the way in complex legal situations.
As a leading Finnish business law firm, we help companies expand, innovate in new legal frameworks, and develop their business by finding tailored and proactive legal solutions. Our practice covers a broad spectrum of transactional, dispute resolution and regulatory matters, involving significant cross-border aspects. Our ambitious attitude and constant drive for improvement have positioned us at the top of our league.
Find out more about our expertise here.
Contact us
If you have any questions regarding the event, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.
Hanna Ulkuniemi
Senior Event Marketing Specialist
Krogerus
hanna.ulkuniemi@krogerus.com
+358 40 123 9151
