Smartvatten appoints Henrik Kølle Petersen as new CEO

The current CEO of Smartvatten Jussi Niiniaho is stepping down. Henrik Kølle Petersen will replace him as CEO at the beginning of 2023. Jussi Niiniaho will stay with the company in an operational role.

“There is serious long-term illness in my family, which is why I want to focus primarily on their well-being,” Niiniaho explains. “I find that difficult to do while being a CEO. I am happy to stay with the company, but in a new role. My exact job description will be clarified at the beginning of the year”.

Niiniaho has been the CEO of Smartvatten since 2019. In that time, the company has made some large acquisitions, and both the number of employees and turnover have tripled.

“In order to reach our ambitious goals, we need strong leadership,” Niiniaho points out. “I am deeply grateful and really impressed with Smartvatten’s corporate culture which supports its employees not just when times are good, but also when they’re difficult – as it has been for me”, admits Niiniaho. “Accountability is one of our company values. This means we are accountable not just for our actions, but also for our people. Both the Board and our staff have shown me a lot of support. Our eNPS (employee satisfaction score) is very high and I’m convinced I want to continue the journey together with Smartvatten and our amazing team in the future too”.

The Board has selected Henrik Kølle Petersen to be the new company CEO from January 1st 2023. “Henrik has strong experience and leadership skills and he will strengthen our management team. I am very much looking forward to working with him”, Niiniaho says proudly.

Henrik Kølle Petersen has previously worked as a business manager, country manager and head of Nordic and European operations in various companies, including Microsoft, SAP and Salesforce. All his roles have involved change management; in other words, changing the business model from being product to service ( SaaS ) oriented.

“Change doesn't happen without people,” Petersen points out. “Investing in company culture and those who work there is absolutely essential to get results and achieve our common goals – that is my priority in this role”.

“We are continuously growing our customer base and geographical reach, helping companies save water and money, and reducing their CO2 footprint”, tells the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Petter Quinsgaard.

“I am really happy to get Henrik on board as the new CEO of Smartvatten. The company culture in Smartvatten is strong, and as Henrik shares the same values, I am confident that he will be a good fit for the company. He also brings with him a valuable background from growth oriented companies with similar business models as Smartvatten. This makes me confident that we can grow even faster, and make an even bigger impact in improving sustainability through saving water."