eQ Plc appoints Pertti Vanhanen as director of international business

• Finnish asset manager targets global growth in private equity and real estate

eQ Plc has appointed Pertti Vanhanen as director of international business as the group looks to expand into overseas markets and broaden its institutional client base.

The Finnish asset management and corporate finance group, which manages €13.8 billion in assets, said the newly created role will focus on growing its international presence, particularly in private equity and real estate. Vanhanen will join the executive management team and work between London and Helsinki.

Vanhanen has held senior roles across private and public real estate markets. Most recently, he was chief executive of the European and Singaporean operations at Cromwell Property Group. Before that, he held several senior international leadership positions between 2002 and 2020 at Aberdeen.

The appointment forms part of eQ’s 2030 strategy. It follows the recent appointments of Kasperi Putkonen, formerly of Goldman Sachs, as director responsible for international sales, and Sara Hedberg Chance, former chief executive of Altamar Capital Partners, as a partner.

Commenting on the appointment, Jouko Pölönen, CEO of eQ Plc, said: “Pertti is an excellent addition to the team. His strong track record in value creation in international real estate markets, combined with his solid expertise and international experience, complements our entrepreneurial approach to investment and growth. I believe that Pertti, Kasperi and Sara, together with the entire eQ team, will put our international business on the map.”

Pertti Vanhanen, director of international business, commented: “It is an honour to join eQ’s highly skilled team and to be part of the international expansion of this exciting and well-established Finnish asset management business. The eQ team has done outstanding work in the real estate and private equity sectors, making international growth a natural next step. While I believe our existing products are attractive to international investors, we are also exploring other opportunities to expand our business overseas.”