Mikkonen has been with the company since January 2019, leading the 12-person Investments team for the past few years. He has previously spent more than a decade in strategy consulting, after co-founding and managing a climate technology start-up.

‘Mikkonen was a natural choice for the position of temporary CEO, as he knows the operation of the Climate Fund inside out and has been involved in building the company’s business since the beginning. Mikkonen also has an in-depth understanding of the challenges of our client companies and how the growth path of companies can be accelerated with public funding’, explains Perttu Puro, Chairman of the Finnish Climate Fund’s Board of Directors.

One of the objectives of the Programme of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s Government is to enhance state domestic capital investment and corporate financing operations by bringing Business Finland Venture Capital Ltd, the Finnish Climate Fund and Oppiva Invest Oy under Finnish Industry Investment Ltd. The new entity will be given an industrial policy task with a stronger focus on economic growth and renewal and the promotion of investments. Another objective is to accelerate investments and exports related to the opportunities created by new technologies and the clean transition.

Mikkonen’s main task is to get the Climate Fund ready for the preparation and implementation of this entry in the Government Programme. ‘Our development priorities in the coming year include giving particular attention to the customer service we provide to the more than 300 businesses that have sought funding from the Climate Fund during this transitional period, and accelerating their growth paths in the future as well’ , says the Finnish Climate Fund’s acting CEO Toni Mikkonen.

The appointment is valid until 31 December 2024.