Finland’s MTV hires Discovery and Viasat execs in management restructure

Sami Vikback

Bonnier Broadcasting-owned Finnish commercial broadcaster MTV’s CEO Jarkko Nordlund  has named a new management team, with Discovery’s Sami Vikback taking charge of the group’s advertising business and Viasat’s Johannes Leppännen becoming head of pay TV.

Nordlund has hired Vikback from Discovery Networks Sweden, where he had the role of revenue director, to take charge of the advertising-led business as vice-president. Prior to joining Discovery, Vikback was president of SBS Finland.

Leppännen, who was previously CEO of Modern Times Group’s Viasat Broadcasting in Finland and the Baltic states, becomes vice-president, consumer business, taking charge of the broadcaster’s pay TV operations.

Other new recruits to MTV’s management team include HR director Manne Tiensuu and CFO Marina Ruohonen, who join marketing and communications director Jere Teutari, content chief Marko Karvo, technology director Risto Koivula and strategy director Anna-Reeta Kangasmaa.

Nordlund, who took over at MTV in January, was previously managing director of Universal Music Finland and the Baltic states.

Bonnier Broadcasting chief Casten Almqvist, who serves as chairman of MTV, said that he was confident the new team under Nordlund would further enhance MTV’s leading position in the Finnish market.

The reorganisation means that MTV will mirror the structure adopted in Sweden by Bonnier, with its broadcasting activities divided into commercial TV – TV4 – and pay TV – C More – units.