Hannu Isohaaro appointed Country Manager of 3i in Finland

09 August 2006

3i, Europe's leading private equity and venture capital company, has appointed Hannu Isohaaro as Country Manager of 3i Nordic plc Finland effective July 2006. Ere Kariola, 3i's former head of the Finnish business, has moved to a new role as Senior Advisor of 3i Nordic plc.

Hannu Isohaaro's appointment results from 3i's long term planning and focus upon business lines. He will be responsible for the development of the Finnish operations and defining the Finnish investment strategy. Hannu will also join 3i's Nordic Management Team and continue as a Partner in 3i's Pan-European Buyout business.

Commenting on the appointment, Chris Rowlands, 3i's Head of Group Markets said: "3i is committed to the Nordic market and Finland has a key role in it. We continue to invest in promising Finnish companies such as Carema/Mehiläinen, Halti and Sulake."

Gustav Bard, Managing Director, 3i Nordic, commented: "Ere has done a great job in transforming the Finnish business and broadening our offering in the market. Hannu has played a significant role in developing 3i's Buyout business and he is the right person to take our business in Finland to its next stage of development."

Hannu Isohaaro joined 3i in 2000 through its acquisition of SFK Finance where he had worked since 1997. Before joining SFK, he was a Fund Director at IVO-Group/ Tekivo Oy, a Finnish captive fund, and he has also held management positions for over 10 years at Lundia Group (furniture) and Kultakeskus Oy (precious metals). Hannu has held various board positions throughout the years in a number of companies including the Yellow Brick Road Group, Fonecta, Finndomo, KemFine, Karelia Group and Kojair Tech.
Ere Kariola will work as Senior Advisor until 2008 when he will retire. He will be responsible for overseeing 3i's recent investment in Quadriga Capital Russia Private Equity Fund and supervising third party funds managed by 3i in Finland. Ere has worked as a private equity investor for over 15 years and has been Managing Director and Country Manager of 3i Finland since 2000.