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 assisted eQ Community Properties Fund in the sale of two healthcare properties to a fund managed by Northern Horizon. The properties have a total floor area of approximately 3,500 square meters. The two properties are located in Espoo and Lahti. The Espoo asset was completed in 2018 and the Lahti asset was completed in 2023. Both assets are operated by Attendo, the leading care provider in the Nordic region.
Case published 9.5.2025
We successfully represented BMW in an exceptionally long dispute over whether the spare rims sold by the defendant and the hub caps included in them infringed BMW’s trademark and design rights. The Market Court found that the sign used by the defendant caused a likelihood of confusion with BMW’s trademarks. The defendant had used the sign on the hub caps and in the marketing of the hub caps and rims, leading the Market Court to find that the defendant had infringed BMW’s trademark rights. The defendant admitted to infringing BMW’s Community design but denied the related injunction claim. However, the Market Court found that there was no particular reason to refrain from issuing an injunction. The Market Court prohibited the defendant from continuing to infringe BMW’s trademarks and Community design and ordered the defendant to alter or destroy the products and marketing materials that infringed BMW’s rights. Furthermore, the Market Court ordered the defendant to pay BMW EUR 70,000 in reasonable compensation and EUR 80,000 in damages for the trademark infringements, as well as EUR 7,000 in reasonable compensation and EUR 8,000 in damages for the design right infringement. The amounts can be considered exceptionally high in Finland. Additionally, the Market Court ordered the defendant to pay a significant portion of BMW’s legal costs with interest on late payment. In its decision of 11 March 2025, the Supreme Court of Finland did not grant the defendant leave to appeal, and also decided that there was no need to seek a preliminary ruling from the Court of Justice of the European Union. Thus, the Market Court’s judgements (MAO:494/18 ja 517/2023) are final. In addition to the main dispute, BMW demanded in a separate proceeding that one of the defendant’s trademark registrations be revoked. A total of three separate legal proceedings were conducted in the Market Court regarding the revocation. The defendant’s trademark registration was ultimately revoked.
Case published 9.5.2025
We are advising DNA Plc in brand protection and intellectual property enforcement matters globally. Our intellectual property team manages DNA’s global trademark portfolio, including registration, prosecution, opposition and enforcement. We also advise DNA in questions concerning consumer and marketing law, unfair competition, social media, domain names and cybersquatting. DNA Plc is one of Finland’s leading telecommunication companies. DNA offers connections, services and devices for homes and workplaces, contributing to the digitalisation of society. The company has approximately 3.7 million subscriptions in its fixed and mobile communications networks. In 2024, DNA’s total revenue was EUR 1,100 million, and the company employs about 1,600 people around Finland. DNA is part of Telenor Group.
Case published 7.5.2025
Castrén & Snellman’s Attorney Christer Svartström acted as the administrator in the restructuring proceedings of Foodiq Oy, which began on 11 March 2024. Foodiq is a unique future food focused company that develops and produces plant and milk-based products for both the private and public sectors. The company’s largest shareholder is a Swedish investment company focusing on FoodTec, Nicoya AB. The majority of creditors approved the draft restructuring programme in expedited proceedings after restructuring proceedings that lasted just under a year. The District Court of Helsinki affirmed the restructuring programme including the one-day payment programme on 10 March 2025 and appointed Attorney Christer Svartström as the supervisor of the programme. In cooperation with the parties, they found an effective and quick restructuring solution for the company, avoiding a long-term programme and allowing the company to focus on its core business. The restructuring programme was financed by investments made by the company’s investors. At the same time, the one-day programme provided a better outcome for creditors compared to a longer programme. The implementation of the restructuring programme ended successfully on 28 March 2025.
Case published 6.5.2025