Virta appoints new management

It was only at the beginning of the year that co-founder and long-standing Virta CEO Jussi Palola handed over the CEO position to Christian Girardeau. Juhani Hintikka has now been appointed as the new CEO, but Girardeau will remain in a management role at Virta.

According to the Finnish company, this is actually a planned change, as Girardeau only took over as interim CEO on January 1, 2025. “As originally intended, he will return to his role as Chief Strategy Officer,” writes Virta in the press release on Hintikka’s appointment. However, there was no mention of an interim solution when the change at the top of Virta from veteran Jussi Palola to Girardeau was announced in December 2024.

Either way, Juhani Hintikka, an experienced software manager, is now taking over the reins in Helsinki. The Finn has worked as CEO and in management positions at global software companies such as Nokia, Comptel, F-Secure and WithSecure. “He has a proven track record of building technology companies in complex environments and will drive the next phase of Virta as a leading enabler for the EV charging station business and integrator of EV charging and energy markets,” writes his new employer.

Virta is a full-service provider for the management of charging networks based in the Finnish capital, Helsinki. Over 450 different charging point models can be managed and controlled via the Virta platform. More than 1,000 customers operate a total of over 120,000 charging points in 36 countries via the Virta platform.

“I am delighted to join VIRTA during a period of major transformation in the e-mobility space, as energy optimization and VPPs (Virtual Power Plants) play an increasingly strategic role for the industry and VIRTA’s customers,” said Hintikka. “The electric vehicle fleet market is also becoming more mature, and with the recent acquisition of the Swedish fleet management software company Northe, VIRTA is well-positioned to grow and complement its existing strong offering.”

Neither Girardeau nor the long-standing CEO and current Chief Innovation Officer, Palola, are mentioned in the press release, but Kirsi Komi, as Chairwoman of the Virta Board of Directors, is. “I have strong confidence in VIRTA’s future growth under Juhani’s leadership,” said the manager. “I would like to warmly welcome him to the company and to thank Christian for his strong contributions as the interim CEO. VIRTA is in a key position to develop the energy business further and to also grow through inorganic expansion.”

Source: Info via email

This article was first published by Sebastian Schaal for electrive’s German edition.