27.6.2024

Marius af Schultén and Kanerva Sunila to strengthen Castrén & Snellman’s Environment, Energy and Green Transition team

The green transition is gathering pace and creating significant new business and growth opportunities for businesses. To support its clients in seizing these opportunities, Castrén & Snellman is expanding its environmental, energy and project law service with two leading experts. Marius af Schultén has been appointed to this service as a partner and Kanerva Sunila as a counsel responsible for energy regulation.

‘Castrén & Snellman has long been a leading adviser in environmental and energy law and in project and tech industry law in Finland. The appointments of Marius and Kanerva will further strengthen our work on industrial and renewable energy projects and on green transition projects. I warmly welcome Marius to our firm,’ says Sakari Lukinmaa, Managing Partner of Castrén & Snellman.

‘Our Environment, Energy & Green Transition service brings together market leading experience in demanding permitting, industrial and energy projects. Our energy expertise is exceptionally strong. Our unique expertise in all the required areas of law make our team a strategic partner for our clients’ projects, which increasingly require novel solutions. This expertise is very well supported by our leading International Construction & Projects service,’ says Samuli Tarkiainen, partner specialising in energy, industry and infrastructure.

‘We are currently facing a decisive moment for attracting green transition investments to Finland, and Castrén & Snellman’s broad and impressive special expertise in all areas of business law supports this work. We assist clients from project planning, permitting and financing to project implementation, disposal and listing. It is a pleasure to get to work on interesting assignments with a superb team and to build an even stronger team,’ Marius af Schultén and Kanerva Sunila say.

Marius af Schultén is an experienced expert in environmental law. He has long and extensive experience as a strategic advisor to domestic and international energy and infrastructure project developers, investors, funds and financial institutions, in particular on renewable energy projects and their development. Prior to joining Castrén & Snellman, Marius was a partner at HPP and an attorney at Borenius.

Kanerva Sunila is a multiskilled energy lawyer who assists clients on energy law issues ranging from contracts to regulatory matters and disputes. She has been working as an energy lawyer at Castrén & Snellman since 2022 and before that at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland where she drafted energy market legislation and prepared renewable energy policies at the national and international level. Kanerva has previously also worked at the Energy Authority, the Finnish national regulatory authority. In 2023, Kanerva defended her doctoral thesis on EU electricity market law with a focus on the energy transition and regulation of innovations.

Following the appointment of the new experts, the Environment, Energy & Green Transition service will be comprised of more than 10 lawyers. Castrén & Snellman Attorneys Ltd is Finland’s leading law firm with a full-service offering that covers all areas of business law. In total, our firm has currently around 300 lawyers and other experts.

Latest references

We advised G&W Electric with its acquisition of Safegrid Oy, a leading provider of intelligent grid monitoring solutions based in Finland. The acquisition accelerates G&W Electric’s long-term strategy to integrate intelligent monitoring and predictive analytics into its power distribution portfolio, strengthening its offering to utility customers worldwide. Founded in 1905 and headquartered in Bolingbrook, Illinois, G&W Electric is a global leader in innovative power grid solutions, with a presence in over 100 countries. The company is known for advanced load and fault interrupting switches, reclosers, sensors, system protection equipment, power grid automation, intelligent grid monitoring, and transmission and distribution cable accessories. Safegrid is a Finnish technology company headquartered in Espoo, Finland. The company develops the Intelligent Grid System®, a grid monitoring solution that combines instant-on wireless sensors with advanced analytics to deliver real-time insight into grid conditions, enabling utilities to identify emerging issues, anticipate failures, and reduce outage duration across medium and high voltage distribution and transmission networks.
Case published 8.5.2026
We advised Kiwa in its acquisition of Sertio Oy, a Finnish notified body designated by the authority in accordance with the EU Regulation on in vitro diagnostic medical devices (IVDR). Sertio provides conformity assessment services in accordance with IVDR. Kiwa is one of the world’s leading testing, inspection, and certification companies, operating in over 35 countries. 
Case published 7.5.2026
We advised Metsäkonepalvelu Oy in its acquisition of the entire share capital of Junnonen Forest Oy, a Finnish timber harvesting services company, and the timber harvesting services business of Lamerit Oy. The acquisition supports Metsäkonepalvelu’s growth strategy and strengthens the company’s position, particularly in southeastern Finland. Metsäkonepalvelu is a portfolio company of A. Ahlström Oy, a Finnish family-owned industrial owner. The company provides mechanical timber harvesting services to forest companies, large private forest owners, and the public sector in Finland and Sweden. Metsäkonepalvelu Group employs nearly two hundred forestry professionals.
Case published 6.5.2026
We acted as Finnish counsel to Scanreco in its acquisition of CrossControl. Mannheimer Swartling (Sweden) acted as lead counsel for Scanreco. CrossControl, founded in Sweden, is a high-tech supplier of advanced display computers and central vehicle computing solutions for industrial vehicles and machines. Scanreco is a world leading supplier of professional radio remote control systems to international machinery, heavy equipment, and crane manufacturers. The combined group comprises approximately 600 employees and generates annual revenue of around SEK 1.4 billion.
Case published 5.5.2026