Board

CHAIRPERSON OF THE BOARD

MSc (Econ.) Kari Niemistö is an entrepreneur, a significant investor and an active practitioner in agriculture and forestry. He holds substantial shares in companies such as Raisio and Stockmann, where he has been involved in capacities beyond that of an investor. At Stockmann, he has served as a Member of the Board and Vice Chairman, and at Raisio, as a Member of the Supervisory Board and the Nomination Committee. Kari Niemistö is the Chairperson of the Board for the Maire Taposen Säätiö sr foundation. He was also a Member of the Board of the Finnish Brain Foundation sr from its founding in 2009 until 2018.

VICE CHAIRPERSON OF THE BOARD

Leena Niemistö (b. 1963), Doctor of Medicine, Honorary Doctor of Administrative Sciences, is a board professional and investor. She was the CEO of the healthcare company Dextra in 2003–2016 and the deputy CEO of the social and healthcare service provider Pihlajalinna in 2013–2016. Niemistö served as the chair of the board of the Finnish National Opera and Ballet in 2016–2025. She has also served as the chair of the jury for the Ars Fennica Award since 2004. Niemistö is a member of the supervisory boards of the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Uniarts Helsinki and the Finnish National Theatre. In addition to her board work in arts organisations, Niemistö has served as a board member in various companies and communities; she is currently a board member of Pihlajalinna, the food company Raisio and the medical technology company Nexstim, for example.

MEMBER OF THE BOARD

The visual artist Elina Merenmies studied painting at the Saint-Luc School of Art in Brussels from 1988 to 1989 and monumental painting at the Prague Academy of Fine Arts from 1991 to 1992. She graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki in 1999. Merenmies is currently working as the headmaster at the Free Art School in Helsinki, where she is also teaching. She has also been teaching at the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki. Merenmies was involved in the founding of the Checkpoint Helsinki contemporary art organisation in 2012–2013. Elina Merenmies has previously served on the Ars Fennica Art Foundation’s jury from 2009 to 2016 and was a nominee for the award herself in 2007.

MEMBER OF THE BOARD

Karri Niemistö holds a Master of Science in Business Administration from Maastricht University. Karri Niemistö has worked in various roles within financial services and consulting firms in Finland and abroad, including positions at EY and Elite Wealth Management.