Shaping our way of Leadership in the new setup of our truly Nordic Welado Group: Roles, Beliefs, and Our Path Forward
What is clear? Our foundation of beliefs.
We are starting 2026 with a new setup. As a Nordic Group. Many things are still left for piloting and development, but one thing is clear for us - our core beliefs and values.
Our task as a strongly value based Nordic group specialized in technical expert services - is to empower people and companies to shape resilient industries and societies. Leave our mark on the future of worklife, and the build environment.
We will do this by aiming to be the most wanted platform for meaningful expertise in the Nordics. When we do so, the best experts will choose us as their platform, and our customers in turn, will get the best.
This thought is the foundation of our modern, antifragile, and impactful Nordic platform, built on trust, community centricity, and shared responsibility. Our people are who make us.
These aspects are at the foundation of everything we do, including the just begun Group vision 2030 and brand revision project, and organizational development.
Developing an organization that feels like us?
As the new Nordic us, we aim for people centric antifragility - to thrive through change and challenge, making our people, customers and societies winners with us. As we see, the world is in continuous turmoil. Rather than even trying to predict the next COVID, war or other threat, we need to concentrate on what we should do in all scenarios to succeed. Adaptability is the key to this, and empowered people at the core of adaptability.
When our people are encouraged to think and act, the organization is lead primarily via transparency, decisions are enabled by data, people are inspired by a shared vision, and communication (rather than command chains and management) is the main steering wheel, we believe we can make this happen.
We also believe the magic will come from combining all our strengths in the Nordics as teams and connections. The aim in the 2026 Group unification is for our people to have a common feel and identity. That we find opportunities for our people and customers in us coming together. That we learn from each other, create connections and find possibilities in new matches and teams. Nonetheless, we also understand, that most business, customers and project are local, and we also need to accommodate this realism.
New group leadership setup to coach the new ways
To guide our common future, we have now formed our Group Directions Team, which in essence is our group leadership forum. This team compromises of group level responsibilities and roles:
Noora Haverinen - Group CEO, leading the group vision, strategy, targets, culture, and impact.
Niklas Wasenius - Group CFO responsible for group financial leadership.
John Filipiak Wallderin – Head of Nordic Growth driving international opportunities and partnerships. Also keeping the Swedish CEO role of the OMT Group.
Marleena Härkönen – Head of Legal, M&A and Sustainability, overseeing governance, risk, integrations, HR amongst other themes.
Niklas Söderholm – Head of ways and capabilities, leading group ways of working, processes and capabilities (including quality, ICT, safety and security) Also keeping COO role for Swedish business.
Joonas Haverinen - COO Finnish business, leading operative business of Finland.
Erik Hollertz – Head of Sales & CAM responsible for group customers, sales and sales development.
In addition to the group leadership, our support teams will have a common central setup. This means that for example HR, finances, quality, security and ICT will be working to develop our common platform and future in common teams, at the same time keeping the localized business, people and customer service aspect central in ways of working.
Our business units and subsidiaries are the key building block for value creation and business. Thus far, they are mostly national, but for example Defence and security, and Rollingstock and vehicles could have a possibility to become international business units of the future, serving markets and customers without borders.
Welcoming Annika Ahlstrand to the Group Board
The Group directions team will be the central leadership body for the group, leading all operations, and replacing all subsidiary boards. The Group will only have one active board - the Welado Group board. To further support our Nordic journey and identity, we are delighted to welcome Annika Ahlstrand to the Welado Group board. Annika, our first non-Finnish board member, switches the board identity to Nordic in one go.
”Annika brings us experience in strategic leadership, cross-border collaboration, communications and marketing. Known for a strong background in Nordic business development and a keen understanding of the technical consulting sector, Annika is a valuable addition to the Welado Group board. Annika's expertise will help guide our group as we continue to grow and strengthen our presence across the Nordics”, says Kimmo Vanne, chairman of the board, Welado Group.
The other continuing Welado Group board members are Meri Koivula, Sari Kola, and Matti Tervonen.
Building the Future Together
Our approach to leadership is rooted in Nordic values—trust and transparency, collaboration & fellowship, and adaptability.
By empowering people, fostering purposeful teams, and maintaining a flat, flexible structure, we are building a group that is impactful for everyone involved.
"With a combined Vision 2030 and a renewed brand in the horizon, and with the support in the board of leaders like Annika Ahlstrand, our future as a Nordic group has never looked brighter. I am excited for 2026, to start piloting, iterating and making our common future in everyday life: Developing the feel of us together for our people, show casing the new opportunities we can now deliver for our customers together, making an even larger impact on our societies, finding growth and impact in the form of new opportunities", says Noora Haverinen Group CEO.
John Filipiak Wallderin continues: “We just kicked off our vision 2030 and brand renewal project with a team of personnel representatives from all Group companies – Welado, OMT, Welado STHK, and Seclion. Even though we are still known with multiple names within the group, it was easy to summarize that our core identity is based on the same values and purpose. Now we will use our history, our combined purpose and values for wording our common future out in a story all of us can connect to and that is clear enough for the market.”