Roopert Laitinen

Senior Associate, Member of the Finnish Bar

I advise our clients in assignments related to corporate law, capital markets as well as mergers and acquisitions. I also have experience in transactions related to banking and finance.

Prior to joining Castrén & Snellman, I worked as legal counsel in a Big Four accounting firm with a focus on mergers and acquisitions. I have also worked as a trainee in several Finnish law firms.

In addition to my Master of Laws degree from the University of Helsinki, I have studied law at the University of Hong Kong.

Latest references

We advise Evli, a leading Nordic investment and wealth management company, in a strategic partnership with Bregal Milestone. The objective of the strategic partnership is to grow the business of Evli Alexander Incentives Oy. In connection with the strategic partnership and to reflect its new vision and strategy, Evli Alexander Incentives Oy will be rebranded to Allshares Oy. As part of the partnership arrangement Bregal Milestone has agreed to invest over EUR 65 million in Allshares to acquire shares owned by certain minority shareholders and to fund future organic and inorganic growth in the company. Following completion of the arrangement, Bregal Milestone will own 55 percent of the shares and votes in Allshares, Evli Plc will own 42 percent, and Allshares’ management will own the remaining 3 percent. The arrangement will mark a significant strategic and financial partnership for Evli Plc and is expected to increase the value of Evli Plc’s ownership in Allshares over a longer period. ‘We are very excited to partner with Bregal Milestone, who shares our vision of becoming the leading provider of share-based incentive and compensation plan management and design in Europe and beyond. With their support, we will be able to accelerate our growth, invest in our platform, and enter new markets. We believe that this partnership will create significant value for our clients, employees, and shareholders,’ Maunu Lehtimäki, CEO of Evli comments. Bregal Milestone is a leading European growth private equity firm and enjoys a strong track record in scaling Nordic champions across Europe via organic and inorganic growth. Bregal Milestone will bring strategic guidance, operational support, financial resources, and access to its deep network of partners and contacts to accelerate organic and inorganic growth of Allshares.
Case published 7.3.2024
We advised Evli in a transaction in which EAB is going to merge into Evli through a statutory absorption merger in accordance with the Finnish Companies Act. The combination agreement and the merger plans relating to the transaction were signed and announced on 31 May 2022, and the transaction is expected to be completed during the second half of 2022. For this transaction, we drafted the first exemption document in the history of Finland in accordance with Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/528 and regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of the European Parliament and of the Council. Both Evli and the EAB Group offer wide ranging investment services as well as asset and fund management including alternative investment funds (AIFs). The combination of Evli and the EAB Group is the next step for Evli in its strategic path to become a leader in Nordic wealth management services. The Combined Company resulting from the merger will have an especially strong position among others in wealth management for institutions and in the design and management of incentive and rewards systems. 
Case published 7.6.2022
We advised Evli Bank Plc in a complex arrangement between Evli and Fellow Finance Plc, in which Evli demerged into a new asset management group, Evli Plc, and a company that will carry on Evli’s banking services and into which Fellow Finance merged. The arrangement was carried out through a partial demerger of Evli Bank and an absorption merger in which Fellow Finance merged into the remaining part of Evli Bank immediately after the demerger. The new company created through the merger that will continue the banking services was named Fellow Bank Plc. As part of the arrangement, we advised Evli Bank Plc in particular in the demerger and merger processes as well as with respect to related prospectuses and authorisations, registrations and approvals required for the completion of the arrangement. The completion of the arrangement required, among other things, approvals and registrations from the Finnish Financial Supervisory Authority, the European Central Bank and the Finnish Trade Register. The completion of the arrangement also required that Evli Plc’s class B shares be listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. In connection with Evli Bank’s change to Fellow Bank, Evli Bank’s class A shares and class B shares were converted into one listed share class. In addition, Fellow Bank’s capital position was strengthened with a directed share issue. The arrangement resulted in a new Evli, which will focus on wealth management and advisory services, and Fellow Bank, which is based on a scalable and digital service concept. The arrangement further improves opportunities to grow both banking services and wealth management as independent businesses.
Case published 4.4.2022
We advised MobilePay A/S (MobilePay Denmark) and its subsidiary MobilePay Finland Oy in a cross-border absorption merger, which was carried out in accordance with the Finnish and Danish Companies Acts. Following the merger, MobilePay A/S will provide services in Finland through a branch office. The establishment of a branch office was part of the group’s objective to reorganise its group structure internationally. The C&S team in this merger consisted of our experts in corporate governance, capital markets and financial regulation and tax and structuring. MobilePay empowers people across the Nordics to share life through joyful exchanges. In Finland, nearly 2 million customers use the MobilePay app. The value of transactions made using the app amounted to almost EUR 2.4 billion in 2021, more than 80% higher than in 2020.
Case published 27.1.2022
We are advising Valio, one of Finland’s premier food companies with more than a century of product development experience, and its subsidiary Oddlygood Global (OGG) in relation to OGG’s first round of financing. OGG will be receiving a EUR 25 million investment into the company from Mandatum Asset Management. Valio will continue as OGG’s majority shareholder after the investment. OGG develops and markets plant-based products under the Oddlygood™ brand, including oat drinks for coffee and products used in cooking and baking. The sales of Oddlygood™ products have doubled each year and OGG’s global growth potential is even larger. Currently, Oddlygood™ products are sold in Finland and Sweden, as well as the UK, USA, Russia and the Baltic countries. Mandatum Asset Management (MAM PE) is a Finnish private equity investor focusing on significant minority investments in Nordic growth companies with proven business models. As an active owner with an experienced investment team, MAM PE can provide OGG with more strategic expertise in global consumer products and further support its growth in international markets. Through its investment, MAM PE will become a minority shareholder in OGG. Valio is a Finnish dairy and food group founded in 1905 and is owned by Finnish regional dairy co-operatives. Valio has subsidiaries in Russia, Sweden, the Baltics, the USA and China. It had net sales of EUR 1,787 million in 2019 and employs over 4,000 professionals.
Case published 17.12.2021
In this past general meeting season, we have advised and assisted numerous Finnish companies listed on the official list of the Helsinki Stock Exchange and the First North growth market in arranging their annual general meetings. Our partners have served as chairpersons of annual general meetings, and the experts of our Corporate Governance service have participated in the preparations for and as secretaries of the general meetings and have also supervised the counting of votes and scrutinised the minutes of general meetings held under the temporary act enacted in response to the pandemic. Our task has been to ensure that the general meeting runs smoothly and in accordance with applicable regulation. In the spring of 2021, we particularly advised our clients in organising remote meetings. We also advised unlisted companies. We have supported our clients in their general meeting arrangements for many years.
Case published 29.11.2021
We acted as legal advisor to Boreo Plc in the combination of Boreo Plc and Sievi Capital Plc, which had been contemplated to be implemented through an absorption merger in accordance with the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act. On 14 December 2021, Sievi Capital announced that it had cancelled the extraordinary general meeting convened to resolve on the merger upon having concluded that the merger would not obtain the required majority at the general meeting. As a result of Sievi Capital’s announcement, Sievi Capital and Boreo have agreed to terminate the combination agreement signed by the companies on 29 September 2021 and to file a notification on the lapsing of the merger plan with the Trade Register. Boreo , a company listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange, creates value by owning, acquiring and developing B2B businesses in Northern Europe. Boreo’s operations are organised into three Business Areas: Electronics, Technical Trade and Heavy Machines. Sievi Capital is a partner for Finnish entrepreneurs that supports the growth, performance and value creation of small and medium-sized companies and concurrently builds national competitiveness.
Case published 29.9.2021
We advised Evli Bank Plc in an arrangement between Evli and Fellow Finance Plc in which Evli will demerge into New Evli, an asset management group that will be listed, and into a company that will carry on Evli’s banking services and into which Fellow Finance will merge. The company that will carry on the banking services will be called Fellow Bank. The arrangement will be carried out through a partial demerger of Evli and an absorption merger in which Fellow Finance will merge into Evli immediately after the demerger. The arrangement will create a new company, Fellow Bank, which will be based on a scalable and digital service concept, as well as New Evli, which will be further focused on wealth management and advisory services. The arrangement further improves opportunities to grow both banking services and wealth management as independent businesses. The intention is for New Evli to apply for authorisation as investment firm. The arrangement is also conditional on other authority approvals and on approval by the general meetings of both companies. The arrangement is intended to be completed during the first half of 2022.
Case published 22.7.2021