Ari Virtanen is a native Finn and has a degree both in engineering (B.Sc. Eng.) and business administration (MBA), with university level post graduate studies in organisational psychology, business law and administrative sciences. He has over 30 years of practical experience in leadership and in strategic and operative management positions in the international market place. He has lived over 14 years on four continents, in six countries and has developed customer or supplier relations in over 70 countries.
Prior to establishing Solidior Ltd. he worked over 20 years in MNE size enterprises in various positions, such as managing director, manager of procurement and logistics, sales and marketing manager and contractual maintenance manager. For the last 10 years, he has managed SME size companies with an international business scope.
Ari Virtanen is a certified Turnaround Management Consultant and is specialized in Interim & Crisis Management and Turnaround Management of underperforming companies, predominantly with an international business scope and companies in the transition processes towards international market place. He has also practical experience in insolvency and bankruptcy proceedings and related corporate restructuring, divestments and M&A processes.
Ari Virtanen has managed both sales offices and production companies (with LEAN and OEE philosophies, FMS and robotic production methods) and has relocated several factories to new locations nationally and abroad. He has been in charge of a number of Post- acquisition takeover cases in Latin America, Africa and East Europe. He can manage business relations and lead the companies and processes in Finnish, English, Estonian, Spanish and Swedish languages.
Ari Virtanen joined CBA as associated M&A Adviser in December 2015.