Investors

Key work experience

Rami Jokela is the Chief Executive Officer of Solar Foods since April 2025, guiding the company’s transformation from pioneering food technology startup to globally recognised commercial leader. Jokela has nearly 30 years of global leadership experience in scaling businesses and building high-performing teams in the technology sector.

Before joining Solar Foods, he held executive and senior roles at Körber Group, ABB, and Rolls-Royce, where he led total of five commercial growth journeys by combining technical expertise, product strategies, strategic sales leadership, and go-to-market execution.

Key work experience

Ilkka Saura is the Chief Financial Officer and deputy CEO of Solar Foods since April 2024, leading the company’s financial strategy, reporting and investor relations.

Saura has over a decade of experience in financial positions, with a particular focus on capital market transactions and strategic finance, financial negotiations and capital management.

Before joining Solar Foods, Saura has worked as the Financial Director at the biotechnology company Faron Pharmaceuticals Ltd and as an authorised public accountant at Deloitte Ltd.

Key work experience

Petri Tervasmäki works as the Chief Technology Officer at Solar Foods. Tervasmäki has been working at Solar Foods since 2019, and he has played a pivotal role in the development of the company’s gas fermentation processes and scaling production from pilot to commercial scale. Before joining Solar Foods, he worked as a researcher in the chemical process engineering group at the University of Oulu, as a brewing expert at Tornion Panimo Oy and as a research engineer at Outotec Oy.

Key work experience

Juha-Pekka Pitkänen is one of the founders of Solar Foods and Chief Scientific Officer since 2018. He graduated from the Helsinki University of Technology (now part of Aalto University) with a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering in 2000 and a Doctor of Engineering in 2005 majoring in bioprocess technology. He has over 20 years of experience in biotechnology R&D, most of which at VTT. In between his working period at VTT, Pikänen spent six years in the biotechnology start-up Medicel Oy in the early 2000s. During this period, he also became interested in equipment building for the needs of biotechnology. Pitkänen tested the functionality of the technology used as the basis of Solar Foods during his time at VTT on a laboratory scale together with his colleagues. Inspired by these results, Pitkänen and Pasi Vainikka decided to establish Solar Foods.

Independence

Chief Technology Officer Juha-Pekka Pitkänen is not considered to be independent of the Company, management or significant shareholders of the Company as he is the second largest shareholder of the Company with more than 10% of the Company's shares and as he is employed by the Company and a member of its Management Team.

Key work experience

Tiia Kuusimäki is the Chief Operating Officer of Solar Foods since October 2024. At Solar Foods, Kuusimäki is responsible for executing Solar Foods' factory projects and creating a factory network with the support of strategic partnerships. She also leads the teams of People & Culture, Procurement, and Quality Management and Sustainability.

Kuusimäki brings over 15 years of extensive experience in operational roles, with a strong background in project management and reporting. She has worked on international M&As and has successfully led post-merger integration projects.

Before joining Solar Foods in 2020, Kuusimäki held various financial and operational positions at Synoste, Olvi, and Vaisala.

Key work experience

Godert Zijlstra is Solar Foods' Chief Commercial and Product Officer since January 2026. Zijlstra is responsible for all commercial and product-related tasks, such as sales, marketing, and food industry regulation, as well as product and food applications.

Zijlstra has a strong background in the specialty ingredients industry, with a proven track record in building global business and establishing and leading global cross-functional teams. He has experience as Managing Director at clean label, functional ingredient developer Ulrick&Short. He drove the commercial growth and success as CCO at Glycom A/S, later acquired by dsm-firmenich, building lasting relationships with global key customers and entering new segments and applications. He has a further background at FrieslandCampina, J&J and Philips.