14.11.2023

Lia Heasman joins Castrén & Snellman as ESG Counsel

Lia Heasman, a multi-skilled ESG talent with a long-standing professional experience, will join Castrén & Snellman as an ESG counsel in January.

Lia will work on a wide range of assignments for our clients. She will focus on strategic sustainability advice, ESG issues relating to transactions, private equity, and financing, and ESG due diligence work.

‘The volume of ESG regulation is constantly growing, and companies are increasingly required to put more effort on reducing their harmful environmental and human rights impacts. Lia’s recruitment strengthens our position as a forerunner in corporate sustainability and legal ESG advice. We are excited to have someone of her caliber on board,’ say Anna Kuusniemi-Laine, Partner and Head of Sustainability, and Jarno Tanhuanpää, Partner and Head of Transaction Services.

Lia has long international experience in business-driven ESG work as well as in the development of human rights and responsible supply chains. Most recently, she headed the ESG Transaction Services of an international firm, where she focused on ESG due diligence services. Lia holds a doctorate in law from the University of Helsinki.

Latest references

We advised a financier consortium including OP Corporate Bank plc, Nordea Bank Abp, and Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB in a leveraged financing arrangement for Vexve, a company owned by DevCo Partners Oy. The financing included EUR 143 million acquisition, refinancing and other facilities for, among other things, the financing of Vexve’s acquisition of Denmark-based Frese A/S, a leading manufacturer of dynamic balancing valves for hydronic networks. Vexve’s combined turnover after the completion of the transaction will be ca. EUR 200 million. Vexve is the leading European provider of valve solutions for the energy sector and selected energy-intensive industries.
Case published 7.2.2025
Castrén & Snellman is acting as the legal advisor to the City of Pori and Pori Energia Oy in the finance arrangement whereby debt facilities in the total amount of EUR 292 million are secured for the purpose of refinancing the existing liabilities and fuelling the future growth of Pori Energia. Pori Energia and its financiers signed a Finnish law governed facilities agreement for this purpose on 13 January 2025. Pori Energia, a multi-utility company, operates in various sectors including district heating, electricity distribution, and electricity generation through CHP and renewable sources. The company also provides wind power services and industrial energy solutions in the Satakunta region where it has c. 60,000 customers.
Case published 6.2.2025
We advised Sanok Rubber Company S.A. in connection with a transaction where the Polish International Development Fund 2 FIZ AN acquired 30% of the shares in Teknikum Group Ltd from Sanok Rubber Company S.A. Teknikum Group is a European polymer technology company serving industrial customers in need of reliable rubber, plastic, silicone, polyurethane, and foam solutions. The group has approximately 600 employees and operates four production plants in Finland and one in Hungary, and a sales office in Germany. Sanok Rubber Company S.A. is the European leader in the field of rubber products, rubber-to-metal articles and combination of rubber with other materials for the automotive, construction, agriculture, pharmacy and household appliances. Sanok Rubber Company S.A. is listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange and employs more than 3,000 people in Europe and North America. Polish International Development Fund 2 FIZ AN is one of two specialised foreign expansion funds managed by PFR TFI. The fund’s aim is to co-finance foreign investments of Polish companies. We advised Sanok Rubber Company S.A. together with the Polish law firm Rymarz Zdort Maruta.
Case published 3.2.2025
Castrén & Snellman is acting as the legal advisor to the City of Pori in its sale of a 49% stake in Pori Energia to Polhem Infra. Pori Energia, a multi-utility company, operates in various sectors including district heating, electricity distribution, and electricity generation through CHP and renewable sources. The company also provides wind power services and industrial energy solutions in the Satakunta region. This strategic partnership between the City of Pori and Polhem Infra aims to enhance Pori Energia’s financial stability and investment capabilities, enabling the company to further its efforts in the energy transition and continue delivering high-quality energy services to its customers. Polhem Infra, owned by Swedish state pension funds, focuses on investments in critical infrastructure, including renewable electricity generation, energy storage, energy distribution, digital infrastructure, and transport infrastructure. The transaction values Pori Energia at EUR 905 million. 
Case published 31.1.2025