Valentin Golovanov

Partner, Member of the Finnish Bar

Services

  1. Private M&A
  2. Private Equity

Contact details

I specialise in mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and transactional corporate advisory matters. I have extensive experience in advising both Finnish and international industrial companies, as well as private equity sponsors, and I excel in handling complex, large-scale domestic and cross-border transactions, including industrial carve-outs, strategic investments, and buyouts.

During my career, I have been involved in several landmark transactions, and I have acquired in-depth experience and knowledge across various industry sectors and particularly in forestry, telecommunications, technology, and infrastructure sectors.

Prior to joining Castrén & Snellman, I worked for over 12 years at other leading law firms in the Nordics, where I built a robust skillset for transactional work focused on client-centricity and first-class project management.

My previous experience includes advising:

• Corten Capital in its acquisition of Roima Intelligence from Intera and other shareholders

• Aava Terveyspalvelut in the sale of Docrates Cancer Center to Mehiläinen

• Klett Lernen und Information in its acquisition of Studeo

• Axcel in the sale of the Aidian to Nordstjernan

• Telia in the sale of part of its towers business in Finland, Norway and Sweden to Brookfield

• Wolt in the sale of the company to DoorDash

• First Sentier Investors in the sale its interest in Caruna to Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board and KKR

• Neles in connection with Alfa Laval’s public cash tender offer

• Posti in the sale of OpusCapita to Providence Equity Partners

• Investor consortium led by ANTA in the public takeover of Amer Sports

• First Sentier Investors in the sale of Digita to Digital Colony

• CapMan Buyout in the sale of Walki to One Equity Partners and

• Microsoft in its acquisition of Nokia’s Devices and Services business.

Latest references

G&W Electric – Acquisition of Safegrid
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
Kiwa – Acquisition of Sertio
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
Jensen-Group – Acquisition of Vestek
We advised Jensen-Group with its acquisition of Oy Vestek Ab, the long-standing distributor of Jensen solutions in Finland. The strategic step underlines Jensen-Group’s long-term commitment to the Nordic region and its ambition to further expand sustainable and future-oriented laundry automation solutions in Finland. Jensen-Group, listed on Euronext Brussels, is a global leader in heavy‑duty laundry technology, known for designing and manufacturing industrial laundry machines, systems, and turnkey automation solutions. Oy Vestek Ab is a Finnish import company founded in 1961. The company’s main activity is to import supplies and machinery, including providing products and services for the health care and laundry industries, from Europe and the USA and to act as a wholesale dealer on the Finnish market.
Case published 16.3.2026
ParkMan – Investment by Hawk Infinity and Armada Credit Partners
We advised the shareholders of ParkMan Oy in the arrangement whereby Norwegian investment company Hawk Infinity and Armada Credit Partners invested in ParkMan enabling ParkMan’s accelerated growth. ParkMan is a parking solutions and management software company that provides a digital parking application for consumers and businesses operating in Finland, Denmark, Lithuania, and Estonia. ParkMan is based in Helsinki, Finland. Hawk Infinity, based in Oslo, Norway, is one of the largest and fastest growing Nordic software compounders with a long-term, growth-oriented investment approach. Hawk Infinity focuses on investing in founder-led companies and scaling them through add-on acquisitions and organic growth, while preserving existing management and culture. Since its establishment in 2008, Hawk Infinity has grown into a multi-vertical SaaS group by acquiring and scaling niche software businesses across Europe.
Case published 27.8.2025
Metsäkonepalvelu – Acquisition of Junnonen Forest and the business operations of Lamerit
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
Scanreco – Acquisition of CrossControl
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
NATO Innovation Fund – Kelluu’s EUR 15 million Series A funding round
We advised the NATO Innovation Fund as lead investor on Kelluu’s EUR 15 million Series A funding round, with participation from Keen Venture Partners, Gungnir Capital, and Tesi. Kelluu is a Finnish deep tech company operating the world’s largest autonomous airship fleet. We advised NIF on this transaction alongside global law firm Latham & Watkins.
Case published 17.4.2026
Nscale – Data centre project
Castrén & Snellman advised Nscale, a European AI infrastructure company, in connection with its planned data centre project in Harjavalta, Finland. The facility will be located in the Sievari industrial area. Castrén & Snellman’s advisory role encompassed the negotiation and execution of a site securing and development agreement (SSDA) with Fortum, as well as the preliminary land sale process for the Sievari site with the Town of Harjavalta. Under the SSDA, Fortum supports the advancement of Nscale’s project development, including grid connection design and permitting.
Case published 15.4.2026

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