Finnish pensions association TELA has announced the appointment of Saara-Sofia Sirén as its next chief executive officer – a member of parliament with particular responsibility for the Nordic country’s relationship to the European Union.
Sirén will take up the job on 1 May, provided parliament grants her resignation by the member of parliament, TELA said today. She will replace the current CEO Suvi-Anne Siimes, who announced last autumn that she would leave in the summer of 2025 after 14 years.
Carl Pettersen, chair of TELA and CEO of mutual pension insurance company Elo, said of Sirén: “Thanks to her background and experience, she is excellently equipped to lead TELA in a situation where geopolitical tensions, Finland’s economic situation and general uncertainty are challenging both the pension system and the investment of assets in many ways.”
Sirén has been an MP in Finland for more than 10 years, and is currently chair of the Grand Committee, which is responsible for EU affairs and Finland’s position in EU decision-making.
She has also been president of gender equality organisation The National Council of Women of Finland (Naisjärjestöjen Keskusliitto) since 2022, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Pettersen said that in Sirén, TELA would have a CEO “who will build trust and cooperation both between stakeholders and within the pension industry”.
Sirén said in the announcement: “It is a great honour to be able to work to strengthen the earnings-related pension system and also to ensure that Finns’ trust in the pension system remains strong.”
