Sanna Aalto-Setälä

Senior Associate, Member of the Finnish Bar, ThD

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I advise our clients on a wide variety of matters related to the environment, infrastructure and natural resources.

Before joining Castrén & Snellman, I worked in law firms specialising in market court, administrative court and district court procedures. At Finnish Consulting Group, owned by the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, I both served as an in-house lawyer and extensively handled client assignments, particularly on legal issues related to renewable energy and water and waste management.

My strength lies in a practical yet thorough approach to assignments. I have experience in managerial and project management roles as well as training others. In addition, I have had the opportunity to participate in legislative preparation tasks, including being heard by the Finance Committee of the Finnish Parliament.

My interest in environmental law is also academic, and I have published peer-reviewed articles in the field.

I am a member of the Finnish Bar Association’s Environmental Law Working Group.

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Latest references

Ministry of the Environment – Report on the promotion of circular economy aspects in public procurement

Castrén & Snellman was commissioned by the Ministry of the Environment to carry out a study on how the Circular Economy Act could be used to promote circular economy aspects in public procurement. Our report provides valuable information to the working group tasked with preparing the new Circular Economy Act. The report includes an overview of relevant strategies, action programmes and policies, a look at relevant legislation and case law, an assessment of the current state of circular economy procurement and examples of integrating circular economy aspects into public procurement from around the world. We end the report with concrete conclusions and a proposal for a new circular economy provision with justification. The proposal aims to maximise the regulation’s effectiveness and minimise any adverse side effects. The final report is available on the Circular Economy Act project’s Gateway to Information (in Finnish). The study was carried out by Anna Kuusniemi-Laine, Sanna Aalto-Setälä, Lotta Huhtamäki, Marja Ollila, Laura Vuorinen, Paavo Heinonen and Anna Ylitalo.

Neoen – Sale of data centre

We advised Neoen Renewables Finland Oy, part of the French Neoen Group, in its sale of a data centre project to a consortium consisting of international data centre developers and operators. This marked Neoen’s first data centre development project in Finland. Founded in 2008, Neoen is one of the world’s leading independent renewable energy producers. The company operates in 15 countries. It develops, finances, builds, owns, and operates solar power plants, wind farms, and battery storage systems. Neoen Group is owned by global alternative asset manager Brookfield Corporation.

Jolt Capital and Tesi – Investment in VEV

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.

VR Group – Intellectual property matters

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.

NoHo Partners – EUR 50 million secured notes and EUR 97 million senior secured facilities agreement

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.

Topfoods – Acquisition of Delice Plus

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.

Deka Immobilien – Acquisition of a prime logistics property

We advised Deka Immobilien on its acquisition of a prime logistics property located at Turvalaaksonkuja 4, Vantaa, for the Deka-ImmobilienEuropa open-ended real estate fund. The property is situated within the Aviapolis logistics cluster, which is Finland’s leading logistics hub, benefiting from its location next to Helsinki Airport and its connections to the country’s main transport routes. Completed in 2022, the modern property comprises 32,947 sqm of lettable space and is fully let on a long-term basis to Barona Varastopalvelut Oy. The tenant is a Finnish 3PL provider offering warehousing and e-commerce logistics services to companies in Finland and internationally and uses the property as its central logistics hub. The property has achieved a BREEAM International New Construction rating of Excellent and an EPC rating of A, and it features photovoltaic and geothermal systems, among other things.

HANZA – Divestment of its Nivala and Sievi operations

We advised HANZA on the divestment of its Nivala and Sievi operations. The transaction was part of HANZA’s larger strategic reorganisation, where the company optimised its Finnish manufacturing cluster. Founded in 2008, HANZA is a Swedish mechanical engineering and electronics contract manufacturing company listed on the Nasdaq Stockholm main list. HANZA has approximately 5,000 employees and annual sales of SEK 10 billion.

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