Risto Siilasmaa

Risto Siilasmaa
Name	Risto Siilasmaa
Birth date	1966-09-17
Birth place	Helsinki
Nationality	Finland
Occupation	Entrepreneur; investor; chairman
Known for	Founder of F-Secure; Chairman of Nokia

Risto Siilasmaa is a Finnish entrepreneur, investor and corporate leader notable for founding F-Secure and serving as chairman during a critical period at Nokia. He has been active across technology, venture capital and corporate governance, engaging with firms in cybersecurity, software, telecommunications and health technology. Siilasmaa's public profile includes roles in industry associations and influence on Nordic start‑up ecosystems.

Early life and education

Siilasmaa was born in Helsinki and raised during the Cold War era in Finland. He studied at Helsinki University of Technology (now part of Aalto University), where he completed studies aligned with computer science-related curricula and interacted with peers from institutions such as University of Helsinki and Tampere University. During his formative years he was exposed to the Scandinavian and Baltic technology communities that included connections to Nokia, Ericsson, ABB and regional research institutes.

Career

Siilasmaa founded a technology company in the late 1980s and early 1990s that evolved into F-Secure, bringing him into contact with industry players such as Microsoft, Symantec, Trend Micro, McAfee and Kaspersky Lab. As an entrepreneur and executive he engaged with venture networks including European VC, Business Angels, Startup Sauna and accelerators associated with Slush. His leadership connected him with corporate figures from Intel, IBM, Cisco Systems, Apple Inc., Google LLC and regional firms like Wärtsilä and Kone. Siilasmaa has participated in conferences similar to World Economic Forum and collaborated with policy stakeholders from European Commission and European Investment Bank.

Nokia leadership and turnaround

Siilasmaa joined the board of Nokia and later became chairman during a period that overlapped with major strategic shifts including the partnership with Microsoft and the acquisition of Nokia's devices and services business by Microsoft Corporation. His chairmanship coincided with interactions with chief executives from Stephen Elop, Satya Nadella, Marissa Mayer-era transitions at technology firms and strategic moves involving companies such as Alcatel-Lucent, Qualcomm, Broadcom, Samsung Electronics, Huawei, ZTE Corporation and Sony Corporation. Under his oversight Nokia pursued acquisitions including Withings and engaged with patent-related assets connected to Siemens and Ericsson. Siilasmaa steered the company through board restructuring, leadership succession, and strategic repositioning toward network infrastructure, cloud and licensing businesses, bringing Nokia into competition with Ciena Corporation, Juniper Networks, Arista Networks and Huawei Technologies. He also navigated relationships with investors such as BlackRock, Vanguard Group, TPG Capital and regional sovereign funds like Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Company.

Business ventures and investments

As an angel investor and venture capitalist, Siilasmaa has backed start‑ups and scale‑ups across cybersecurity, healthcare and software, forming ties with funds and accelerators including Accel Partners, Sequoia Capital, Index Ventures, Northzone, Balderton Capital and Atomico. His portfolio touches companies that interact with platforms from Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure and enterprises using technologies from Red Hat and Canonical. He has invested in firms operating in ecosystems alongside Supercell, Rovio Entertainment, Wolt, Unity Technologies and Smartly.io, and has worked with corporate venture arms like Intel Capital and Samsung Next. Siilasmaa’s investment activity connected him with public markets via listings similar to NASDAQ and NASDAQ OMX Helsinki and with mergers involving KKR, Silver Lake Partners and General Atlantic.

Public service and board memberships

Beyond executive roles, Siilasmaa has served on boards and advisory councils for institutions such as Business Finland, Sitra, Finnish National Gallery-adjacent bodies and university advisory groups including Aalto University and University of Helsinki. He has engaged with international organizations and forums including World Economic Forum committees, European Round Table of Industrialists-style networks, and national policy dialogues involving Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and Ministry of Employment and the Economy (Finland). His governance roles include interactions with boards of corporations like Helsinki Stock Exchange, Konecranes, Metso Outotec, Nokia, F-Secure, and engagements with institutional investors such as Pension Protection Fund-style entities and Nordic pension funds. Siilasmaa has participated in corporate governance debates alongside figures from Deloitte, PwC, EY, KPMG, and engaged with regulatory frameworks influenced by the European Commission and European Central Bank.

Personal life and philanthropy

Siilasmaa is private about his family but has supported philanthropic initiatives in technology, education and health that interface with organizations like Kone Foundation, Finnish Red Cross, United Nations Development Programme, UNICEF and regional cultural institutions such as Finnish National Gallery and Theatre of Helsinki. His charitable interests include backing entrepreneurship education programs similar to Teach First, scholarships at Aalto University and collaborations with incubators like Maria 01 and Startup Sauna. He has participated in public discussions with journalists from Helsingin Sanomat, The Financial Times, The Economist and broadcasters such as Yle and BBC News.

Category:Finnish businesspeople Category:Technology company founders