6.5.2025

Castrén & Snellman invites Wille Järvelä and Valentin Golovanov as new Partners in the Firm’s M&A and Private Equity service

Castrén & Snellman continues its strategic growth in M&A and private equity by welcoming new partners Wille Järvelä and Valentin Golovanov to the firm’s M&A and Private Equity service.

With Wille’s and Valentin’s exceptional expertise and strong track record in high-profile cross-border transactions, the firm further strengthens its position as a leading transaction practice in the market.

‘Wille’s and Valentin’s arrival reflects our commitment to responding to our clients’ growing demand for strategic advice to boards, private equity sponsors and executive teams, and underscores our long-term dedication to supporting our clients in their most important projects. Known for our unparalleled client and employee experience rooted in true partnership, I’m proud to welcome Wille and Valentin – trusted advisors who share our straightforward business mindset – to our team,’ said Jarno Tanhuanpää, Managing Partner of Castrén & Snellman.

Wille Järvelä moves to his new role from the position of Vice President M&A Legal and Projects at Huhtamaki Group, where his broad responsibilities included oversight of all legal matters for the Group’s M&A projects, negotiating key commercial contracts, as well as managing and developing the Group’s global external legal counsel network. Before Huhtamaki, Wille worked as an attorney at Roschier. He has over 15 years of versatile experience in providing hands-on high quality executive level legal support to Finnish and international blue-chip companies in cross-functional roles and multi-jurisdictional environments especially within the manufacturing and fast moving consumer goods industries, as well as for industry-specific R&D projects and technology developers.

Valentin Golovanov has extensive experience in advising Finnish and international industrial companies and private equity sponsors on complex large-scale domestic and cross-border transactions, including strategic investments, buyouts and public takeovers. He has been involved in several landmark transactions and has in-depth experience and knowledge in the forest and telecommunications industries as well as the technology and infrastructure sectors. Valentin has over 12 years of M&A experience with the leading law firms in the Nordics. He moves to Castrén & Snellman from Roschier, where he worked for nearly 8 years.

‘Wille’s experience as a key contributor in facilitating strategic decision-making by senior executives and boards, as well as in executing growth plans and transformational projects, will be a great asset to our clients and to our ability to offer even stronger transaction advisory services. Having previously worked across the table, Valentin is known for his pragmatic approach, exceptional ability to grasp what is genuinely important for the client and unwavering commitment to going the extra mile for the client. Both new colleagues are highly experienced negotiators who consistently deliver transactions with the highest levels of client satisfaction. Their capabilities will undoubtedly help our clients succeed and shift our transaction power team into an even higher gear,’ says Benjamin Bade, Head of M&A and transactions services at Castrén & Snellman.

Latest references

We advised the shareholders of Suomen Autohuolto Oy in connection with the sale of the company’s entire share capital, to SAKA Finland Group Oy. Suomen Autohuolto Group is one of Finland’s largest companies specializing in brand-specific automotive maintenance and has locations in Oulu, Tampere, and from July, also in Järvenpää. The transaction is subject to final approval by the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (KKV).
Case published 26.6.2026
AI training
We delivered two tailor-made AI workshops for the lawyers at the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke). We discussed the AI revolution and its impact on lawyers’ ways of thinking and working, and left the participants with practical solutions for enhancing and streamlining their work with Legora. Our AI-specialist lawyers prepared use cases tailored to Luke and the needs of public administration, which Luke received for its own use following the workshops. These use cases covered topics such as: utilising legal sources and the organisation’s own data to maximise AI results building and leveraging AI workflows AI-enhanced contract drafting based on a large volume of documents. The workshops sparked wide-ranging discussion on the role and benefits of AI in legal work. Participants appreciated how clearly and comprehensively our experts were able to present the nature and benefits of AI specifically within a legal context. ‘The workshops provided excellent support for Luke’s goal of leveraging AI responsibly and gave us concrete and ready-to-use practical takeaways,’ says Hannu Laitinen, Luke’s Senior Vice President, Administrative Affairs.
Case published 26.6.2026
We successfully represented a Finnish construction management consultancy and a safety coordinator employed by the company in criminal proceedings concerning an alleged occupational safety and health offence. The prosecutor sought a penalty for an alleged breach of occupational safety regulations. The charge arose from a fall accident at a construction site where our client acted as the safety coordinator appointed by the developer. We assessed the scope of the safety coordinator’s duties in relation to the responsibilities of the main contractor, as well as how our client had fulfilled their obligations in practice. We demonstrated that our client had acted with due care and in full compliance with their duties throughout the planning, preparation and execution of the construction project. The District Court of Eastern Uusimaa dismissed the charge against our client. The Court held that our client, in their capacity as safety coordinator, had duly fulfilled the occupational safety obligations incumbent on the developer during the planning and preparation phases of the construction project and had not been aware of the fall protection deficiency identified at the site. The judgment is final insofar as our client is concerned.
Case published 22.6.2026
We advised Efima Oyj on the sale of its financial management services business to Rantalainen as part of its strategic focus on fully concentrating on the delivery of business applications as well as data and AI solutions. As a result of the transaction, customer contracts related to financial management services and 65 experts working in these services will transfer to Rantalainen. The transaction will be carried out as a transfer of business, and the experts will move to the new owner as existing employees. Efima is a Finnish digital company that supports the sustainable growth of large and mid-sized companies by streamlining their business processes and by creating competitive advantage through the innovative use of artificial intelligence and data. The company has nearly 200 experts based in Helsinki and Tampere.
Case published 12.6.2026