Best companies and individuals promoting equity savings and the securities market

Artikkeli
25.5.2022
Lukuaika
10 min

The first ever Stock Exchange Gala was held in Helsinki on 17 May. The gala culminated in an awards ceremony.

“We wanted to highlight the importance of Finnish ownership and the best stock market practices,” President and CEO of the Finnish Foundation for Share Promotion Sari Lounasmeri explains.

Investor Influencer of the Year: Verneri Pulkkinen

The Investor Influencer of the Year was selected through a public vote. The winner is Verneri Pulkkinen. He works as a community builder in the equity analysis company Inderes. Pulkkinen creates investment-themed podcasts and videos and is active in social media discussions, e.g., on Twitter where he has more than 11,600 followers.

“I am grateful to all who voted for me!” Pulkkinen says.

“Communities are relevant in investing, people feel they are important,” he evaluates.

Other nominees for the Investor Influencer of the Year were Aleksi Kopponen, the founder of the ‘Sijoituskerho’ Facebook group with more than 110,000 members, and Pia-Maria Nickström, the creator of the popular ‘Mimmit sijoittaa podcast.

Best Investor Pages: Huhtamäki, Alma Media, Raute and Lemonsoft

Throughout the years, the investor webpages of listed companies have been an important source of information for private investors. This is why the Finnish Foundation for Share Promotion and the Finnish Society of Financial Analysts have already, since 1999, rewarded the work of investor communications specialists by annually selecting the best investor pages of listed companies. The award aims to help companies improve their investor communications.

“The Best Investor Pages award has already been given out in previous years, and competition has clearly encouraged companies to improve their investor webpages,” President and CEO of the Finnish Foundation for Share Promotion Sari Lounasmeri praises.

The criteria are strict. For example, investor pages are evaluated on their usability and layout, as well as on how strategy, growth and profitability are illustrated, how financial goals and prior history are presented and how the use of capital, operative risks and accountability are described.

The awards are given out in four categories:

Large listed companies (large cap, market value of over a billion euros):

  1. Huhtamäki
  2. Valmet
  3. Kesko

Medium-sized listed companies (mid cap, market value between 150 million and billion euros):

  1. Alma Media
  2. Tokmanni
  3. Lassila&Tikanoja

Small listed companies (small cap, market value under 150 million euros):

  1. Raute
  2. Optomed
  3. Exel Composites

First North marketplace companies:

  1. Lemonsoft
  2. Loihde
  3. Netum

Discover earlier winners of the Best Investor Pages award here: https://www.porssisaatio.fi/blog/2022/01/03/parhaat-sijoittajasivut-voittajat/

Kristian Tammela, Huhtamäki. Picture: Tuomas Pietinen

Young Investor: Juuso Aitta

The Young Investor award was given to Shareholding Promotion Ambassador Juuso Aitta from Helsinki. He became interested in investing at a young age and distributes information about investing, acting as a source of inspiration to others.

“People want to talk about investing. It can be done in an understandable way,” 19-year-old Aitta explains.

As a volunteer, Juuso Aitta has toured comprehensive schools, talking to ninth graders about managing their own finances. Furthermore, he has twice run an optional spring course on investing for other students at his upper secondary school.

“The number of participants has been amazing. Young people are interested in investing,” Aitta explains.

He has also acted as a trainer in the Shareholding Promotion Ambassador programme of the Finnish Foundation for Share Promotion. Shareholding Promotion Ambassadors is a training programme of the Finnish Foundation for Share Promotion where upper secondary school students learn to give a lecture on saving and investing to comprehensive school ninth grade classes. During the 2020–2021 school year, the Shareholding Promotion Ambassadors reached around 10,000 ninth graders.

The award was given out in cooperation with our partner Merilampi.

Diversity Promoter: Konecranes

The operations of a responsible company take the environment and people into account: different people with different backgrounds are treated equally and actively encouraged in their career advancement.

The Diversity Promoter award was given to Konecranes whose main office is located in Hyvinkää. According to our jury, the company is a good example of how making an effort can quickly provide results. The entire Konecranes staff has attended diversity training. Education, i.e. information and awareness, is an important first step. The company has set diversity objectives, planned measures and described its processes. Particular key points – such as recruitment – have been defined.

“Diversity and inclusion are central to the culture and performance of Konecranes. I wish to thank our employees for making our progress possible,” says Teo Ottola, interim CEO at Konecranes.

The award was given out in cooperation with our partner Mercuri Urval.

Pioneer in Circular Economy: Betolar

Concern about environmental sustainability has grown in the past decades. The aim of circular economy is to ensure that products and materials are made use of in the long-term. This can be achieved through product design, re-use or shared use, for example.

The Pioneer in Circular Economy award was given to material technology company Betolar. It follows a circular economy earnings logic that acknowledges the environment and climate.

“The courageous action of our staff and the open-minded environmental responsibility of our customers have mobilised a green shift in the concrete industry. The willingness to adopt reliable low-carbon concrete solutions in industry has grown a great deal. It is inspiring to change the world. At the same time, it is a massive opportunity for business and investors,” Chief Executive Officer Matti Löppönen from Betolar stated in his acceptance speech.

Betolar’s head office is located in Kannonkoski, Central Finland.

The award was given out in cooperation with our partner Sitra.

Changemaker: Tecnotree

The Changemaker of the Year is technology provider Tecnotree from Espoo. The company’s solutions are critical in offering the poorest countries of the world access to highly developed digital health care, education and payment traffic services, for example. Further projects are constantly being developed, and business is opened in new locations, for example in Latin America and Africa.

“We are humble and grateful to receive the Changemaker award. Tecnotree has an ambitious vision of strengthening digitally interlinked communities around the world. Companies wishing to create growth at the bottom of the pyramid must be able to scale and focus on value creation. Not just alone, but together with horizontal and vertical ecosystem operators – like us – globally, transparently and ambitiously. Tecnotree’s changemaking growth vision is to level the playing field by sharing top-class innovation from Finland to the emerging markets and unleash sustainable digital ecosystems for health care, financial services, education, sports and digital trade in line with the UN sustainable development guidelines. This award confirms our vision and is a great encouragement for the Tecnotree team,” Tecnotree OYJ CEO Padma Ravichander says.

The winner was selected through a two-stage process. First, a separate group of specialists analysed operators and selected the finalists. The jury then selected the winner. The award was given out in cooperation with our partner Miltton.

Listing of the Year: Spinnova

A record number of new companies listed on the stock exchange in 2021.These new companies represent different sectors and different stages of growth. Private investors were eager to participate in initial public offerings, and many companies immediately received thousands or even tens of thousands of new owners. At the same time, the companies raised capital to finance their growth.

The Listing of the Year is the textile fibre manufacturer Spinnova from Jyväskylä.

“Our IPO was a success and the gathered funds allow us to implement our growth strategy in practice. We are proud that our listing attracted 22,000 owners to build a more sustainable future for the textile industry with us and that the number has grown to more than 33,000 shareholders since then. We thank our investors for their trust and faith in our technology, team and commercial potential. Together, we can revolutionise textile manufacturing in a sustainable direction globally. I also wish to thank the Spinnova team and partners who have enabled our rapid development,” CEO Janne Poranen says.

Of nearly 30 companies that listed last year, the jury studied the number of investors participating in the IPO, the shareholding received by private investors in the IPO, as well as the development of the number of owners and share price after the IPO.

Best Chair of the Board: Robert Ingman

Owners of a company select the board that is responsible for creating the strategy and selecting the CEO, among other things. The significance of the chair of the board has increased in recent years. A well-managed board increases the shareholder value of the company.

The Best Chair of the Board award is given to Robert Ingman. He is the chair of the board of several companies, including the listed company Qt Group. One of the award criteria was that Ingman is the chair of the board in a listed company whose value has developed positively, partly due to the actions of the chair.

Picture: Tomi Parkkonen

Best Shareholder Value Increase: Qt Group

Nearly a million Finns own listed shares. The shareholder value development is one of the key financial indicators for both large and small shareholders. The development of the shareholder value takes into account the development of the company’s share price, as well as the distribution of dividends and repayments of capital.

The Best Shareholder Value Increase award was given to the software company Qt Group. It has significantly increased its shareholder value in the long-term.

Jury

The Stock Exchange Gala jury consisted of investment blogger, investor Jasmin Hamid; value investment pioneer, private investor Mika Heikkilä; major investor, investment author Tom Lindström; Professor Vesa Puttonen and President and CEO of the Finnish Foundation for Share Promotion Sari Lounasmeri. Lounasmeri also chaired the jury.

The Stock Exchange Gala gathered together the management of Finnish listed companies, private investors and influencers

The Gala was organised by the Finnish Foundation for Share Promotion in cooperation with Mercuri Urval, law firm Merilampi, Miltton, PwC and Sitra. The Gala participants included the management of Finnish listed companies, private investors, investment influencers and other finance professionals.

Learn more about the Gala here: https://porssigaala.fi/

Pictures: Tuomas Pietinen