HK RUOKATALO RESTRUCTURES ITS MANAGEMENT TEAM IN FINLAND
HK Ruokatalo Group Oyj STOCK EXCHANGE BULLETIN 9 Nov. 2005, at 11am
HK RUOKATALO RESTRUCTURES ITS MANAGEMENT TEAM IN FINLAND Progress is being made with rationalising HK Ruokatalos business in Finland. The management organisation is to be overhauled in a bid to make the company more efficient. Restructuring is intended to improve results accountability and to bring added market focus to customers and consumers. HK Ruokatalo Oys managing director Kai Seikku has appointed Antti Lauslahti (39) MSc (Econ. & Bus. Adm.) as new executive vice president Commercial Operations. Antti Lauslahti will work under Kai Seikku. Mr Lauslahti joins HK Ruokatalo from LU Suomi Oy, part of Danone Group, where he is currently commercial director. Prior to that he served LOréal in Finland, the UK, Russia and China, and has also worked for Suomen Unilever. Antti Lauslahti will take up his post at HK Ruokatalo on 1 January 2006. In the same context, the following changes will take place in the management organisation. Reijo Kiskola, current executive vice president of the Commercial Operations Group, will assume the post of executive vice president of the poultry business. In addition to his own job, he will be responsible for marketing and product development until the end of December this year. Esa Mäki, current executive vice president of the Poultry Group, will assume the post of executive vice president of the meat business. Raimo Laine, current executive vice president of the Raw Material Group, will remain in his present post until he retires on 30 June 2006. Mr Laine will integrate the functions of the Raw Material Group to form part of the meat business unit. In addition to his own job, Mr Laine will also act as director of sales. Pekka Kaikkonen will switch from his post of executive vice president of the Processing & Production Group to assume responsibility for the processed meat and convenience foods business. These appointments are effective immediately. On 1 January 2006, logistics and the distribution terminals will be integrated to form part of a new commercial operations group for which executive vice president Jari Leija remains responsible. Risto Koivisto, executive vice president of the Slaughtering & Cutting Group is to leave the company. These changes will mean four units instead of six practicing our process-like way of working at home. These changes do not affect our businesses in the Baltics or Poland. The Management Team in Finland comprises the chairman, managing director Kai Seikku, as well as CFO Matti Perkonoja, executive vice presidents Antti Lauslahti, Reijo Kiskola, Esa Mäki, Raimo Laine and Pekka Kaikkonen, as well as employee group representative Kimmo Piironen. Further information is available from: HK Ruokatalo Oys managing director Kai Seikku, tel: 010 570 3270 HK Ruokatalo Group Oyj Simo Palokangas CEO DISTRIBUTION: Helsinki Exchanges Internet: www.hk-ruokatalo.fi