Kaiku Group renews its leadership: Katariina Ahonen and Kasper Stenbäck appointed CEOs

Communications agency Kaiku challenges traditional leadership models and appoints two CEOs. The new co-CEOs Katariina Ahonen and Kasper Stenbäck are both experienced managers who have worked for the company for over 10 years. 

The dual leadership model is still rare in Finland, but it has resulted in positive outcomes. Ahonen and Stenbäck believe the dual model is particularly well suited to Kaiku's interactive culture. 

"We wanted to find a management style that reduces workload, increases interaction and inspires people to look at working life from a new perspective. We do the same when working with our clients: we have a double checking, so why not apply it to management as well? This model also has a strong human message. Carrying responsibility alone is not the only way to go about it – this notion can and must be challenged,” they say. 

Kaiku's Board of Directors has every confidence in the new CEOs and sees a lot of opportunities in the change. 

"I am delighted that we could find my successors from within the company. For owner-entrepreneur-driven small specialist companies, the track record of CEOs coming from outside is usually quite poor. In Kaiku, adoption of our values also weighs more than in other firms. Katariina and Kasper could be described as level-headed people with a open, equal, and humane management style," says Pete Saarnivaara, who will become Chairman of the Board and leave his CEO duties. 

Kaiku's international business is still the responsibility of Kaija Pohjala, partner and member of the Board. 

Katariina Ahonen  

• Master of Social Sciences
• Other education: Bachelor of Business Administration, Business Information Technology, Positive Psychology Practitioner, diploma in business management 
• Came to Aleksin Kaiku at the beginning of 2013; the company was later merged with communications agency Conexio to form Kaiku Helsinki
• Strengths as communications consultant: strategic communications, communications plans, measuring communication, internal communications, HR-related communications 

Kassper Stenbäck  

• MScBA 
• Other education: service design/AaltoPRO 
• Came to Cocomms in 2012; the company merged with Kaiku Helsinki in 2021 to form Kaiku Group
• Strengths as communications consultant: Brand design, campaign concepts, website user interfaces, social media plans, launches, video productions, user training 

Communications agency Kaiku 

• Services: interesting communications in Finland and abroad, brand and visual design, communications surveys and service design, societal communications and public affairs, sustainability communications, health and welfare communications, communications training and coaching 

• CEOs Katariina Ahonen and Kasper Stenbäck 
• Partners Kimmo Kuokka, Ville Lehtovirta, Jouko Marttila, Kaija Pohjala, Pete Saarnivaara, Salla Syrman, Markku Vänskä 
• Turnover in 2022 was about EUR 5.5 million.