Wärtsilä sustainability lead to retire: Function transferred to legal and compliance head

Energy manufacturing firm Wärtsilä has announced that its EVP of Public Affairs and Sustainability Kari Hietanen will retire in 2026, stepping down from its management board.

Hietanen has been working at the Finnish energy solutions provider to the shipping industry and other heavy-emitting sectors – which registered €6.4 billion in net sales in 2024 – for the last 37 years, but only took the helm of its sustainability strategy in April 2025. Before that, he held roles as General Counsel and Head of Corporate Relations and Legal.

He said: “I have truly enjoyed my versatile and internationally wide-reaching roles, which have allowed me to contribute to decarbonisation of the global energy and marine sectors.”

As of January 1, 2026, his responsibilities will be transferred to existing positions within the firm’s board of management, and sustainability will become part of the mandate of Executive Vice President, Legal and Compliance Nora Steiner-Forsberg. Marko Vainikka, Vice President of Corporate Relations and Sustainability, also remains at the firm.

‘Contributing to the decarbonisation of the energy and marine sectors’

Meanwhile, cybersecurity responsibilities will be transferred to Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Arjen Berends, and safety and corporate security responsibilities will be passed on to Executive Vice President, Human Resources Teija Sarajärvi.

Wärtsilä President and CEO Håkan Agnevall added: “Since joining Wärtsilä in 1989, Kari has been instrumental in enabling several transformations of the company. In our current decarbonisation strategy, his responsibility areas of sustainability, public affairs and previously legal affairs have been central to our new direction.”

The company is aiming to decarbonise its operations and transform its product portfolio for the net zero economy by 2030, including by developing hydrogen solutions for the marine industry.