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
Swedbank – Refinancing of Trophi’s Finnish retail real estate portfolio
We advised Swedbank AB (publ) on the refinancing of a large Finnish retail real estate portfolio owned by Trophi’s Finnish subsidiaries. Trophi is the leading Nordic real estate company focusing on grocery anchored retail properties, with 278 properties across Sweden and Finland. Finland is a market that continues to develop and is also strategically important for Trophi, accounting for approximately 30% of Trophi’s letting and property value.
Case published 17.7.2026
HANZA – Acquisition of Fortaco Finland’s heavy mechanics and assembly business
We are acting as Finnish legal advisor to HANZA in connection with its acquisition of Fortaco Finland’s heavy mechanics and assembly business. The transaction is structured as a combined asset and share acquisition and includes Fortaco Finland’s heavy mechanics and assembly operations in Finland, as well as shares in two Estonian and two Polish subsidiaries. The transaction is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. 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. We advise HANZA on this transaction in collaboration with the Swedish law firm Lindahl.
Case published 15.7.2026
RevolutionRace – Acquisition of ICANIWILL
We acted as Finnish counsel to RVRC Holding AB (RevolutionRace) in its acquisition of 90.1% of the shares in ICANIWILL AB (ICIW). Mannheimer Swartling (Sweden) acted as lead counsel for RevolutionRace. ICIW, founded in Sweden in 2012, is a Swedish training apparel brand.  RevolutionRace is a fast-growing Swedish outdoor brand offering multifunctional products to people with an active lifestyle. The company operates with a digital D2C business model reaching customers in approximately 40 countries. The company is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm since 2021. 
Case published 14.7.2026
Special investment fund managed by Mandatum – Sale of PMK Building
We advised a special investment fund managed by Mandatum on the sale of the PMK Building, a mixed-use commercial property located in Tammela, Tampere. The property hosts dozens of tenants and offers, inter alia, warehouse, production and office premises.
Case published 13.7.2026

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