Nordic Competence Group appoints new CEO – Erkki Mäkelä brings safety at the core of business

_{Photo: Petteri Kivimäki}

Nordic Competence Group has appointed Erkki Mäkelä as its new CEO, effective May 11, 2026. Mäkelä joins Nordic Competence Group from his position as CEO of St1 Lähienergia.

Mäkelä has extensive and diverse experience particularly in industrial service business, with a focus on safety, maintenance, energy solutions, and digital services. He has held executive positions at St1 Lähienergia, Kiwa, and Lassila & Tikanoja, among others. Additionally, Mäkelä has served as Vice Chairman of the Board of the Finnish Maintenance Society Promaint.

Mäkelä holds a Master of Science degree in Engineering from Tampere University of Technology. His strengths include comprehensive business management, change implementation, sales and customer responsibility development, and building occupational safety and quality into everyday operations.

Jani Pihl, Chairman of the Board of Nordic Competence Group, considers the appointment a natural choice for the company’s growth phase.

“Erkki uniquely combines industrial experience, leadership approach, and strong safety expertise. He has demonstrated his ability to implement change and build profitable growth. Under his leadership, we will strengthen our services, deepen our customer relationships, and accelerate Nordic Competence Group’s growth in both domestic and international markets. I warmly welcome Erkki to the team,” Pihl says.

For Mäkelä, the new role represents a significant step both professionally and personally.

“Safety is today a more multifaceted and strategically significant topic than ever before – and personally extremely meaningful to me. At Nordic Competence Group, we see safety as a competitive advantage and a management tool,” Mäkelä states.

Nordic Competence Group helps companies build safety into their strategy and management, integrate training, culture development, and competence into a functional whole, and improve business results through safety. The company also makes safety qualification training widely available through the Koulutustukku online store.

“I am truly excited about this opportunity and cannot wait to work with customers to turn safety into a genuine competitive advantage,” Mäkelä says.

For more information

CEO, Nordic Competence Group Oy

erkki.makela@competencegroup.fi

040 527 7891

LinkedIn: Erkki Mäkelä

Nordic Competence Group in brief

Nordic Competence Group is a consulting firm specializing in safety and competence development that helps organizations build safety into a strategic competitive advantage. The company’s services combine training, culture development, and competence management into a comprehensive solution that supports business results.