A new name for EQ’s management team – watched Jouko Pölönen’s interview, and in a few days we got hands on

Has a long international career in real estate investment Pertti Vanhanen has been appointed EQ:n to the director responsible for international business. The company announced the matter on Monday morning.

Between 2002 and 2020, Vanhanen worked in various management positions in a British asset management and investment company in Aberdeen. Most recently, Vanhanen worked until January 2025 at an Australian real estate investment company Cromwell Property Groupin as managing director responsible for Europe and Singapore.

Vanhanen tells Kauppalehti that the transition to a Finnish asset manager was the sum of several positive coincidences. Vanhanen describes that his suspension from competition ended when he saw EQ’s CEO in early February Jouko Pölönen interview in Kauppalehti’s Talousaamu program.

“I contacted him and we met the very next day. It was two days before we hit it off,” says Vanhanen.

Vanhanen says that he hoped for the opportunity to use his experience and contacts gained abroad for the benefit of a Finnish organization. He didn’t know EQ even more closely, but Pölönen’s performance and the company’s new strategy convinced him.

“If there had been activities only in Finland, I certainly wouldn’t have been interested. – – I can continue working in London and thereby help EQ grow. And I hope, too [auttaa] Finnish investors to expand their real estate and private equity investments to become more international.”

On the other hand, the purpose is also to find international investors who would like to invest in Finland, which would bring more liquidity to the domestic real estate and private equity markets. According to Vanhanen, old international contacts are also useful when looking for refinancing or debt financing for new products.

“Of course, one thing is also expanding EQ’s brand to the world. I will participate in that through the contacts and experiences that have been formed here,” says Vanhanen.

The new strategy aims abroad

EQ published at the beginning of February in connection with its financial statement bulletin its renewed strategywith which the company’s goal is to double its operating profit by the end of 2030.

In addition to the operating profit target, the company said, among other things, that it aims to expand its business internationally and that it seeks growth in the market that invests in small and medium-sized unlisted companies (private equity) and real estate asset management.

EQ already appointed last summer, among others, the US giant at Goldman Sachs Having previously worked in London Kasperi Putkonen to the director responsible for international sales and Sara Hedberg The chance as a partner of the company.

“Pertti’s strong evidence of value creation in the international real estate market as well as his solid know-how and international experience bring an excellent addition to our entrepreneurial and committed team. I believe that Pertti, Kasperi and Sara, together with the whole team, will put our international business on a strong growth path,” CEO Jouko Pölönen says in the press release.

The Talousaamu program is part of Kauppalehti.