Home News and publicationsNewsHanna Loikkanen appointed Finnfund’s Chief Investment Officer News|16 January 2024Hanna Loikkanen appointed Finnfund’s Chief Investment Officer Hanna Loikkanen, M.Sc., who has a long experience working as a board professional and in international investment management positions, has been appointed as the Chief Investment Officer of the state-owned development financier and impact investor Finnfund. Loikkanen will start as Finnfund’s CIO in January 2024. “Hanna has extensive experience in successfully financing private companies in emerging and transition markets. In addition to her operational experience, she has served on several company boards and is familiar with the issues relevant to impact investors and development financiers in our markets and regulatory environments. We are excited to have her unique combination of expertise and experience in our team,” says Finnfund’s CEO Jaakko Kangasniemi. Loikkanen has previously worked in management positions, for example, at Nordea and East Capital. Loikkanen is also a strong expert on Russia, as she has worked in management positions at the Russian companies FIM, SEB, and Merita Bank. Loikkanen is also familiar with Finnfund, as she has been a board member since spring 2020. “I am excited to join Finnfund in this new capacity. This role combines my interest in emerging markets and my passion for sustainability and impact investments. Finnfund is a highly respected development financier in emerging markets with a wealth of relevant sector expertise, e.g., in digital infrastructure and forestry, enabling us to make impactful, commercially sustainable investments. I look forward to working with all the Finnfund stakeholders”, says Hanna Loikkanen. Finnfund is a Finnish development financier and impact investor. We build a sustainable future and generate lasting impact by investing in businesses that solve global development challenges. We invest 200–250 million euros in 20–30 companies in developing countries each year. Our focus sectors include renewable energy, sustainable forestry, sustainable agriculture, financial institutions, and digital infrastructure and solutions. Today, Finnfund’s investments, commitments, and investment decisions total about 1.22 billion euros, half of them in Africa. The company has 100 employees based in Helsinki and Nairobi. For more information, please visit www.finnfund.fi More information: Hanna Loikkanen, Chief Investment Officer, hanna.loikkanen@finnfund.fi, tel. +358 40 724 1414 Jaakko Kangasniemi, CEO, jaakko.kangasniemi@finnfund.fi, tel. +358 40 577 7676 Unna Lehtipuu, Communications Director, unna.lehtipuu@finnfund.fi, tel. +358 40 624 0896 Categories: News2024 Share: Link to Linkedin Link to Facebook Link to Twitter Link to Bluesky Latest news News and publications News 22 October 2025 Finnfund and OeEB invest in CRDB Bank Burundi to support financial inclusion Finnfund, the Finnish development financier and impact investor, and OeEB, the Development Bank of… News 14 October 2025 Merja Rissanen returns to Finnfund as Chief People Officer: “Culture does not emerge on its own” Merja Rissanen has been appointed as Chief People Officer at Finnfund and joins the… News 11 September 2025 Finnfund’s economist Tangeni Shatiwa: “Investor confidence in Nigeria got a boost” The current government of Nigeria has implemented a series of bold policy reforms to… News 27 August 2025 Finnfund closed a 4 million US dollar debt investment with Kenyan Poa Internet to expand affordable broadband Finnfund closed a 4 million US dollar debt investment with Poa Internet Kenya Ltd.… News 22 August 2025 Finnfund announces successful first closing of Finnfund Digital Access Impact Fund I LP Finnfund, a Finnish development financier and impact investor, announces the first closing of Finnfund… News 21 August 2025 Notice of voluntary total redemption of notes due 24 October 2025 Finnish Fund for Industrial Cooperation Ltd (Finnfund) as the Issuer hereby gives notice to… News 30 June 2025 Wave raises EUR 117 million to accelerate financial inclusion across the African continent Wave Mobile Money, Africa’s fastest-growing mobile money platform, has raised EUR 117 million in… News 12 June 2025 Finnfund’s economist Tangeni Shatiwa: Investors finding their way back to the Kenyan market Kenya´s economic growth is expected to strengthen to 5.5 per cent already this year,… News 04 June 2025 Finnfund’s Chief Economist Kristiina Karjanlahti: “Developing Asia remains the growth engine of the global economy – despite the shock caused by tariffs” Trump’s tariff policy has been a series of continuous surprises, the latest being the… News 15 May 2025 Finnfund’s investment portfolio reaches EUR 887 million – more focus on advancing digitalisation, mobilisation of private capital, and Finnish added value “For Finnfund, 2024 was a year of rethinking. We revisited our strategy while reaffirming… Scroll left Scroll right