“During these first few months as the CEO, I have tried to work with our specialists to get a better understanding of what at SOK works very well and where we still have room to develop. The operating environment poses challenges for S Group, and digitalisation, international competition and polarised demand, for example, require us to constantly review our operating models and find the most transformative way to organise,” says Hannu Krook, SOK’s Chief Executive Officer. 

The focus is on a more extensive cultural change. 

“We are quite a large organisation. Including its subsidiaries, SOK Corporation employs almost 6,000 people. The coming change will first focus on SOK’s specialist organisation – going forward, we want to pay special attention to cooperation between our units. At the same time, we will modernise our management and change our approach to development by strengthening agile teams, for example,” explains Krook.  

As a result, three regrouped units will start operations at SOK on 1 May: Sustainability will become the focal point in marketing and communications, and these two functions will be organised as one, with practicality strongly integrated into the business. The development of increasingly digital services related to the heart of the Group, co-op membership, will be strengthened in the new Loyalty, IT and Digital Development unit under Chief Transformation Officer Sebastian Nyström. In addition, strategy work will be separated into its own area of responsibility, and Maria Timgren will start as the Executive Vice President for Strategy, and as a member of the Corporate Management Team, on 1 May. 

Due to the changes, Veli-Pekka Ääri, Executive Vice President for Media, will leave his position. Nina Elomaa, Senior Vice President for Sustainability, will become the acting Executive Vice President for Marketing, Communications and Sustainability and a member of the Corporate Management Team from 1 May onward. As Susa Nikula, the current Executive Vice President of Human Resources, has already announced that she is taking on new challenges outside the S Group, Head of Human Resources Mari Junnila will become the acting Executive Vice President for Human Resources and a member of the Corporate Management Team on 1 May. 

 “We are expecting that the assignments for the posts of Executive Vice President for Human Resources and Executive Vice President for Marketing, Communications and Sustainability will be confirmed during May,” says Hannu Krook.