United Bankers Plc
INSIDE INFORMATION 17 October 2024 at 15:00 EEST

Inside information: John Ojanperä has been appointed as the new CEO of United Bankers Plc – Patrick Anderson candidate for Chairman of the Board

The Board of Directors of United Bankers Plc has today decided to appoint John Ojanperä as the new CEO of United Bankers Plc as of 1 November 2024. John Ojanperä, who joined United Bankers Group in 2014, has been the CEO of UB Fund Management Company Ltd and a member of the United Bankers’ management team since 2016. He has also acted as Chairman of the Board of Directors of UB Asset Management Ltd, and as a member of the Board of Directors of several other subsidiaries of the Group. Previously, he has worked in mergers and acquisitions and auditing at KPMG and PwC, among others. John Ojanperä holds a Master's degree in Economics.

Johan Linder, the current Chairman of the Board of United Bankers, who has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2007, has announced that he will no longer be available to be re-elected as a member of the Board of Directors at the 2025 Annual General Meeting.

The intention is that Patrick Anderson, who has been with United Bankers Group since 2000 and has served as CEO since 2007, would be elected to the Board of Directors, pending the decision of the 2025 Annual General Meeting. Patrick Anderson will function as the advisor of the new CEO, John Ojanperä, until the 2025 Annual General Meeting. He will also continue as member of the Board of Directors of UB Asset Management Ltd and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of UB Corporate Finance Ltd.

The largest shareholders of United Bankers, representing 40 per cent of the company's shares, have announced that they will propose to the 2025 Annual General Meeting that Patrick Anderson be elected as a member of the Board of Directors of United Bankers. The current members of United Bankers’ Board of Directors have stated that, if nominated and re-elected, they intend to elect Patrick Anderson as Chairman of the Board, provided the 2025 Annual General Meeting resolves on his appointment as member of the Board of Directors as proposed. The plan is for Patrick Anderson to serve as the full-time Chairman of the Board. The proposal by the largest shareholders regarding the composition and remuneration of the Board of Directors will be finalized at a later date, and will be published in full in a separate stock exchange release by 31 January 2025, at the latest.

“Johan Linder founded United Bankers together with Rasmus Finnilä almost 40 years ago. They established the foundation for a wealth management company that I have had the privilege of helping to build and grow. Having served as the CEO for nearly 18 years, I have gained invaluable experience during this time. I would like to express my gratitude to Johan for his unwavering trust and support, both in developing the company and in fostering my own role", says Patrick Anderson.

"We have been planning to hand over the responsibility of CEO to John Ojanperä for some time. John has been with the company for a long time and is part of our well-integrated management team. Our cooperation will continue to be smooth. At the same time, there is a sense of melancholy in my mind. The past years have provided unforgettable moments with the great UB team. I am a UB team member at heart, and I want to continue to be part of the company's story. My role moving forward will simply be different," Anderson concludes.

"Patrick has done a fantastic job for our company during the almost 25 years of his career. Throughout his tenure as CEO, which started in 2007, a new growth strategy was created for the company, which he and the rest of the management team have successfully implemented. Under Patrick's leadership, we have taken the company public and built United Bankers into one of the leading alternative asset managers in the Nordic region," says Johan Linder, Chairman of the Board of Directors.

United Bankers’ newly appointed CEO John Ojanperä sees this as a very exciting stage for the company: "Having now been part of the UB team for ten years, I have witnessed the tremendous evolvement of the company during that time. I am excited to step up and take over leadership of the company. Under Patrick's leadership, we have driven the company forward with focus and determination and I am delighted that our partnership will continue. Team spirit has always been one of the core values of our company that is closest to my heart, and I believe that together, with the entire UB team, we will achieve great things. I am surrounded by a top team, our focus is clear and our products are of the highest quality. We are perfectly positioned to elevate the company to the next level once again."

Following Ojanperä's transition to the position of CEO of United Bankers, Timo Ronkainen, Head of Institutional Asset Management at UB Asset Management Ltd, has been appointed as the new CEO of UB Fund Management Company as of 1 November 2024. He has been employed with UB Group and a member of the United Bankers’ management team since 2012. Previously Ronkainen has been the CEO of Aventum Fund Management Company Ltd and Nordea Investment Management Ltd, among others. Timo Ronkainen holds a Master's degree in Economics.

Additional information:

Patrick Anderson, CEO, United Bankers Plc
Email: patrick.anderson@unitedbankers.fi
Telephone: +358 400 244 544, +358 9 25 380 236

Johan Linder, Chairman of the Board, United Bankers Plc
Email: johan.linder@unitedbankers.fi
Telephone: +358 400 603 830, +358 9 25 380 221

Investor Relations: ir@unitedbankers.fi

United Bankers in brief:

United Bankers Plc is a Finnish expert on wealth management and investment markets, established in 1986. United Bankers Group’s business segments include wealth management and capital markets services. In asset management, the Group specialises in real asset investments. United Bankers Plc is majority-owned by its key personnel and the Group employs 163 employees (FTE) and 26 agents (30 June 2024). In 2023, the United Bankers Group’s revenue totalled EUR 52.1 million and its adjusted operating profit amounted to EUR 16.9 million. The Group’s assets under management amount to approximately EUR 4.8 billion (30 June 2024). United Bankers Plc’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd. The Group companies are subject to the Finnish Financial Supervisory Authority’s supervision. For further information on United Bankers Group, please visit www.unitedbankers.fi.

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