Partner Minna Korhonen handles demanding financing assignments, real estate transactions, and insolvency and corporate law assignments
Minna joined Castrén & Snellman in 2018. Before joining the firm, she had worked as counsel at another large law firm, as an associate at a smaller firm and as a lawyer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Minna is extremely happy in her current position.
‘My experience has been that we have low team boundaries, which makes us a genuine full-service firm. We have been successful in highly demanding projects that require a wide range of expertise. Clients know that we will handle their assignments comprehensively, which is a real benefit. Work days can sometimes be long, but the work itself is interesting and my colleagues are great, which balances things out. Our warm work community, meaningful work and the clients I get to work with are what drive me forward.’
A Transaction Lawyer Through and Through
When she was little, Minna dreamed of being a paediatrician, but does not regret going into business law instead.
What interests Minna in finance is how challenging and complex the assignments are and how different each work day is.
‘Our client might be either a bank or other financial institution providing financing or a company taking out a loan. The work is more than just reviewing financing documentation, it also requires understanding the projects or transactions that are being financed, which can come in all shapes and sizes. We might be working on a real estate development project one day and working to secure financing for a transaction the next. Finance touches on many fields of law, and we often work with our firm’s other teams on assignments. We do a lot of work with our Real Estate Investments & Transactions, Environment, Infrastructure & Natural Resources and Mergers & Acquisitions teams in particular.’
Sustainability Leading the Way Forward
Green financing is a trending topic in the field at the moment along with sustainability issues in general.
Minna notes that financing is a good way to promote sustainable development and combat climate change: every project needs financing, be it an acquisition or a development project.
The pace of change relating to sustainability has been rapid and has an impact on practical client work.
‘Sustainability goals are guiding the operations of an increasing number of companies. Our firm is a forerunner in sustainability matters, which is a huge benefit for our clients. Sustainability in commerce and industry means building good business for the future, and that is something we want to support.’
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Korona Invest – Sale of Innoflame
We advise Korona Invest and the other shareholders of Innoflame Oy on the sale of Innoflame to Sponsor Capital. The transaction makes Sponsor Capital the new majority owner of Innoflame. Korona Invest has been a shareholder of Innoflame since 2021 and, together with the other selling shareholders, has over the past five years supported the company’s growth, development and several strategically significant corporate transactions, through which Innoflame has strengthened its position as Finland’s leading product media company. The ownership change is intended to support Innoflame’s next phase of growth, including its ambition to build a significant European product media company with the capability to expand rapidly into new markets. The transaction is conditional to the customary closing conditions such as authority approvals. Innoflame is one of Finland’s leading product media specialists, helping its clients build a unified brand experience by offering the design, sourcing and management of product media as a single integrated service. Korona Invest is a Finnish private equity firm founded in 2006, specialising in buyout and growth investments in domestic small and medium-sized enterprises. It makes both majority and minority investments, structuring each project to suit the company’s growth strategy.
Case published 27.8.2026
Marina Group – Acquisition of Iisiveneily and Porvoon Venekorjaamo
We advised Hopeasalmen Telakka Oy, part of Marina Group, on the acquisitions of Iisiveneily and Porvoon Venekorjaamo. The transactions form part of Marina Group’s expansion into the Finnish marina and boatyard sector, strengthening its position under the Quattro Marine brand. Following the acquisitions, Quattro Marine’s Finnish operations comprise Hopeasalmen Telakka, which operates boatyard facilities in Helsinki’s Mustikkamaa and in Tolkkinen, Porvoo, together with Iisiveneily and Porvoon Venekorjaamo. Marina Group is a Norwegian marina and boatyard consortium owned by the private equity sponsor Norvestor. It has grown rapidly through acquisitions to become the Nordic region’s largest boating services provider, having acquired 24 marinas and boatyards across Norway, Sweden and Finland within roughly a year.
Case published 24.8.2026
Neste – A EUR 250 million 10-year loan with NIB
We advised Neste as it signed a EUR 250 million 10-year loan with NIB. The loan will finance Neste’s investments related to research and development (R&D) in processing lower-quality feedstocks into high-quality renewable products; as well as the liquefied waste plastics (LWP) investment at Neste’s refinery in Porvoo, Finland. The R&D activities supported by the loan focus on the development of renewable solutions. These include, for example, expanding feedstock capabilities and technologies that enable the processing of new and lower-quality waste and residues into high-quality renewable end products. Part of the financing supports Neste’s liquefied waste plastics investment in Porvoo, related to upgrading low-quality plastic waste into high-quality feedstock at an industrial scale. The investment contributes to advancing circular economy solutions by enabling the use of hard-to-recycle plastic waste as a replacement for virgin fossil raw materials. The unit has an annual capacity to process up to 150,000 tonnes of liquefied waste plastic. Production ramp-up commenced in 2026.
Case published 19.8.2026
Aspo – Demerger and finance matters
We advised Aspo Plc, ESL Shipping Ltd and AtoBatC Shipping AB in relation to finance matters in connection with the demerger of Aspo, by which all the shares in ESL Shipping Ltd held by Aspo, together with the related assets and liabilities, will be transferred to a new independent company to be named ESL Shipping Group Plc. Aspo intends to apply for the shares of ESL Shipping Group to be admitted to trading on the regulated market of Nasdaq Helsinki. It is further intended that Aspo be renamed Telko Group Plc.
Case published 19.8.2026