Main duties of the Board

The main objective of the Board is to direct Suominen’s strategy in a way that, in the long run, it enables the delivery of the financial targets set for Suominen and maximizes shareholder value while simultaneously taking into account the expectations of key stakeholders.

The Board is responsible for the administration and proper organization of Suominen’s operations and for making decisions on matters that are likely to have a major impact on the Company. The Board convenes according to an annual meeting plan.

The Chair and members of the Board are elected by the General Meeting of Shareholders. Pursuant to the Articles of Association of the Company, the Board shall have at least three and no more than seven members.

Main duties

The duties of the Board of Directors are defined in Finnish laws and regulations, Suominen’s Articles of Association, the Finnish Corporate Governance Code and the Charter of Suominen’s Board of Directors. The main duties are the following:

to approve the Company’s strategy and oversee its implementation,
to approve the Company’s long-term targets and monitor their implementation,
to approve the Company’s annual business plan,
to approve the Company’s sustainability agenda,
to approve the Code of Conduct and key corporate policies,
to approve major business acquisitions, divestments, investments and expenditures,
to approve major external funding (both debt and equity), capitalization of subsidiaries, and guarantees and mortgages,
to decide on the appointment and dismissal of the CEO and other members of the Executive Management Team and to decide on their terms of employment and remuneration,
to approve the Company’s organizational structure,
to monitor and supervise the Company’s performance and to ensure the effectiveness of its management,
to ensure continuity of business operations by overseeing the succession planning of the Executive Management Team,
to decide on the main principles of Suominen's short-term and long-term incentive plans,
to evaluate and approve the remuneration of the CEO and other members of the Executive Management Team and their incentive plans, and
to approve the Remuneration Policy and the Remuneration Report,
to approve the Company’s financial reports, including annual accounts, interim reports, report by the Board of Directors and financial statement releases,
to ensure that the Company has adequate planning, information and control systems and resources for monitoring results and managing risks,
to monitor evaluation and management of significant risks relating to Suominen’s strategy and business operations,
to approve the company’s Corporate Governance Statement,
to convene General Meetings of Shareholders,
to establish a dividend policy and make a proposal on the distribution of dividend,
to make a proposal concerning the election of the auditor and the sustainability auditor, and the auditing fees, and
to make other proposals to General Meetings of Shareholders.

Independence of the Board members

The Board has evaluated the independence of its members. All members are independent of the Company. They are also independent of the company’s significant shareholders, with the exceptions of Andreas Ahlström and Maija Joutsenkoski. The largest shareholder of Suominen Corporation, Ahlstrom Capital B.V., is part of the A. Ahlström Group. Andreas Ahlström currently acts as the CEO of Ahlström Invest B.V., which is an associated company of A. Ahlström Group. Maija Joutsenkoski acts as the Investment Director at A. Ahlström Corporation, which is the parent company of Ahlstrom Capital B.V.

Meeting practice

The Board convenes under the direction of the Chair of the Board or, if the Chair is unable to attend, the Deputy Chair of the Board. Principally the matters are presented by the CEO of the Company.

In 2024 the Board convened 15 times, of which five times were per capsulam. The attendance rate at the meetings was 98.9%. The participation of each individual member is presented in the following table.

Name		Participation
Charles Héaulmé	Chair	15/15
Andreas Ahlström	Deputy Chair	15/15
Aaron Barsness	Member	15/15
Björn Borgman	Member	14/15
Nina Linander	Member	15/15
Laura Remes	Member	15/15
Until April 4, 2024
Jaakko Eskola	Member	1/1

Updated on May 30, 2025