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Appointments to the VR Leadership Team: Janne Hattula to lead the City Traffic unit in Finland and Johan Oscarsson to lead the unit in Sweden

27. June 2023

In future, the VR City Traffic business unit will be managed on a market-specific basis from Finland and Sweden. Janne Hattula will be appointed Senior Vice President, City Traffic Finland, and Johan Oscarsson will hold the same position for the unit in Sweden. Both Hattula and Oscarsson will also become members of VR's Leadership Team. Hattula will take up his position from August 1st, and Oscarsson will start on August 7th, 2023. Both Hattula and Oscarsson will report to Elisa Markula, President and CEO of VR Group. In the company's financial reporting, the City Traffic country units will continue to be reported as a single segment.

"VR City Traffic business includes commuter train, tram, and bus services, and it will now be managed on a market-specific basis in Finland and Sweden. Oscarsson and Hattula will work closely together in their new roles, promoting the shared goals of VR City traffic and facilitating the exchange of knowledge and sharing best practices across borders," comments President and CEO Elisa Markula.

On April 25th, VR announced the appointment of PhD Johan Oscarsson as the new CEO of VR Sverige.

Janne Hattula has been serving as the CEO of Pohjolan Liikenne since spring 2022 and will continue in that role. Prior to Pohjolan Liikenne, Hattula served as the CEO of the Airpro Group for eight years and held various managerial positions within the SAS Group, where he served from 2012 to 2014 as the CEO of Blue1 Ltd. Hattula has also served as the Chairman of the Board for Taxipoint Ltd.

"Janne Hattula's extensive experience in the transportation industry provides a solid foundation for developing operations and improving profitability in the City Traffic unit in Finland. I am pleased that we found the expertise for the role of City Traffic director within our organization, and I welcome Hattula to his new position and as a member of VR Group management team," Markula says.

"I am truly honoured to have this opportunity to expand my expertise to the field of commuter train traffic and, for my part, to take the entire Group’s operations towards more profitable growth," says Janne Hattula.