Finnair chief executive Topi Manner is to temporarily step aside and be succeeded by 17 year-old Siru Nuutinen next month.
The 1-day-long move takes place on October 9 and forms part of Finnair’s participation in global youth development agency Plan International’s #GirlsTakeover campaign.
The campaign sees girls step into the shoes of political, social and economic leaders as part of the UN’s International Day of the Girl Child celebrations.
Siru Nuutinen will become Finnair CEO for the day and work with the airline’s Executive Board.
Plan International is focused on the development of children, with a large part of its focus being equality for girls.
The theme for the takeovers is equality in working life. Globally, girls still have fewer opportunities than boys to get an education, to access decision-making positions and earn equal pay. There is also room for improvement in equality in working life in Finland.
At Finnair, the campaign focuses not only on the position of girls but also on the broader theme of equality and diversity. Updated objectives and actions will be published during the takeover.
Finnair CEO Topi Manner said: “In recent years, we have seen growth in the importance of companies as socially responsible actors. At Finnair, we strongly believe in a diverse and equitable society, which is why we wanted to join Plan’s initiative.
“We have long enjoyed a multicultural and diverse working environment. However, after long years of crisis, now is a good time to update our goals and restart the systematic actions to achieve a more equitable and inclusive workplace. We want to be an attractive employer also in the future, and by working with Siru, we believe we can get good ideas on how to concretely advance equality and inclusion.”
