28.6.2021

Women in Business Law Awards Europe 2021: Castrén & Snellman Scandinavian Law Firm of the Year

Castrén & Snellman received the award for Scandinavian Law Firm of the Year at the Women in Business Law Awards Europe 2021. In addition, the firm was awarded as the best national firm in the Mentorship Programme category, and Partner Merja Kivelä received the award for Equity Capital Markets Lawyer of the Year.

Castrén & Snellman is committed to promoting gender equality, and over half of our lawyers are women. Our work to promote diversity and support personnel’s work-life balance are part of our overall sustainability programme, which took some major steps forward in 2020.

‘Gender equality is a core principle at C&S. We are very proud of these achievements, but it is important that we not rest on our laurels and also remember that equality goes beyond equality between the genders. It is vital that we treat everyone equally and ensure all of our employees have equal opportunities to advance in their careers and develop their expertise’, says Managing Partner Sakari Lukinmaa.

The Women in Business Law Awards Europe celebrates the efforts and achievements of law firms across Europe in helping women to advance in the legal profession and spotlight the most impressive achievements by women lawyers.

Best Mentorship Programme – Easing Day-to-Day Family Life

We support our employees in balancing family life and work, for example, by offering mentoring to employees’ returning from parental leave. This mentoring takes the form of peer support and sharing of best practices on how to balance the demands of work and family. The mentors are mothers or fathers who have also recently returned to work from parental leave.

Our firm also supports personnel in continued academic study, professional training, work-experience and through a wide-range of internally organised training, mentoring and coaching opportunities.

Merja Kivelä – Equity Capital Markets Lawyer of the Year

One of the Finland’s most experienced capital markets lawyers, Partner Merja Kivelä, received the Equity Capital Markets Lawyer of the Year award. Merja was recently recognised as one of the Women Leaders 2021 by IFLR1000. One of the most significant cases that Merja has led recently is the merger of Cargotec and Konecranes, where C&S acted as advisor to Cargotec.

See all the winners on the IFLR website.

The awards are organised by Legal Media Group, which contains IFLR, ITR and Managing IP. The winning individuals and firms are decided by senior Euromoney Legal Media Group editorial staff following an extensive research process.

Latest references

We advised Jolt Capital and Tesi in connection with their investment in VEV, a leading provider of commercial fleet electrification solutions. The investment, led by Jolt Capital with Tesi as co-investor, will support VEV’s next phase of growth and expansion across Europe. As part of the transaction, VEV became an independent company following the acquisition of Vitol’s stake in the business. Founded by Vitol, VEV provides integrated fleet electrification solutions combining fleet strategy, charging infrastructure, energy supply and operational services. Through its VEV IQ platform, the company supports more than 6,000 commercial electric vehicles across Europe and has been deployed across more than 600 sites spanning the transport, logistics and waste sectors. Jolt Capital is a private equity firm focused on growth investments in European deeptech companies. Tesi is a Finnish state-owned investment company that promotes Finnish business and economic growth through investments. We advised Jolt Capital and Tesi on the equity financing and structuring aspects of the transaction. International law firm Goodwin advised the investors on the acquisition of VEV.
Case published 10.9.2026
VR-Group Plc is a transport and logistics group owned by the Finnish State, operating passenger and freight rail transport in Finland with activities also in the Swedish market. VR Group provides passenger, logistics and maintenance services with over 160 years’ experience in developing responsible transport of the future. We advise VR Group in intellectual property matters as part of the company’s wider brand protection efforts. Our assignments have included advice on copyright, design rights and trademarks, focusing on the protection of the company’s visual identity – including its distinctive green colour – in connection with transport services as part of a comprehensive IP protection strategy. VR Group’s consistent brand building has also received recognition, including the Finland Chamber of Commerce’s Brand of the Year award in 2026. In the competition, brands were viewed comprehensively from various perspectives, including their story, strategic role, brand renewal ability and intellectual property protection. The jury found that VR had understood the importance of the protection of its brand as part of a comprehensive business strategy. 
Case published 9.9.2026
We advised NoHo Partners Plc on the issuance of EUR 50 million senior secured floating rate notes. The notes have a tenor of four years and mature on 10 September 2030. The notes bear interest at a rate of three-month EURIBOR plus a margin of 4.375 per cent. per annum. The notes were allocated to a mix of domestic and international investors. We also advised NoHo Partners on the negotiation of its new senior facilities agreement. The facilities agreement comprises a EUR 60,000,000 term loan facility, a EUR 10,000,000 capex facility and a EUR 27,000,000 revolving credit facility. “We are delighted by the interest investors have shown in the company’s Notes, which reflects confidence in our strategy. The successful issuance of the Notes, together with the new loan agreement, extends the maturity profile of our financing and enables the company to continue executing its growth strategy going forward. I would like to thank all investors for their participation, as well as our partner bank for the excellent execution of the Notes issuance”, says Jarno Suominen, CEO of NoHo Partners. OP Corporate Bank plc acted as the sole lead manager and bookrunner for the issue of the notes. NoHo Partners Plc is a Finnish group established in 1996, and it specialises in restaurant services being the creative innovator of the Northern European restaurant market. The company was listed in Nasdaq Helsinki in 2013 becoming the first Finnish listed restaurant company, and it has continued to grow strongly throughout its history. NoHo Partners’ vision is to be the leading restaurant operator in Northern Europe.
Case published 4.9.2026
We advised Topfoods Oy, a Triton-backed Geia Group company, on its acquisition of Oy Delice Plus Ab, a Finnish supplier of cakes and pastries. Through the acquisition, Topfoods strengthens its retail business and further reinforces its position in the cakes and pastries segment. Founded in 2008, Topfoods supplies selected food products to professional kitchens, the retail sector, and the food industry. 
Case published 4.9.2026