Ville Kukkonen

Senior Associate, Member of the Finnish Bar

Services

  1. Employment
  2. Data & Technology

Contact details

I work in Castrén & Snellman’s Employment and Data & Technology practices. I regularly advise our domestic and foreign clients in various employment- and privacy-related matters. My daily work includes advising clients in general employment law and day-to-day employment issues, reorganisations and employment-related dispute resolution. In addition, I regularly advise clients in employment privacy matters. During previous years, I have also worked on several data protection assignments. These have included GDPR implementation and compliance projects, drafting data protection documentation and counselling in general data protection and ePrivacy related matters.

Prior joining Castrén & Snellman, I worked for several years in another Finnish law firm where I advised clients on various employment and data protection related matters. In addition, I have gained valuable experience on a secondment as an in-house privacy legal counsel in a Nordic media corporation. Furthermore, in my previous career I also worked as a legal counsel in a business union for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Besides having a master’s degree from the University of Helsinki and being accepted into the Finnish Bar, I have certified with the CIPP/E degree under the IAPP certification program of the International Association of Data Protection Professionals, which requires a wide range of expertise in the content of European data protection laws. During my studies, I also completed courses at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in the fields of the Chinese legal system and international trade law and done an internship in a law firm in Beijing.

Latest references

Fortum – Sale of recycling and waste business
We are acting as the lead counsel to Fortum in a cross-border transaction in which Fortum is selling its recycling and waste business. The business is sold to thematic impact investing firm Summa Equity through its portfolio company NG Group. The debt-free purchase price is approximately EUR 800 million. The transaction is subject to authority approval and customary closing conditions. Fortum’s recycling and waste business to be sold comprises municipal and industrial waste management and end-to-end plastics, metals, ash, slag and hazardous waste treatment and recycling services. These businesses are located in Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway and currently employ approximately 900 employees.
Case published 18.7.2024
Andritz – Acquisition of Procemex
We advised Andritz Oy, a part of ANDRITZ group, with their acquisition of all the shares in Procemex Oy. The acquisition further strengthens ANDRITZ’s automation and digitalisation portfolio. Procemex is a global leader in integrated web monitoring and web inspection solutions for the pulp and paper industry. It has a team of more than 100 vision systems experts and has subsidiaries in Germany, Japan and the US. ANDRITZ offers a broad portfolio of innovative plants, equipment, systems, services and digital solutions for a wide range of industries and end markets. ANDRITZ is a global market leader in all four of its business areas – Pulp & Paper, Metals, Hydropower and Environment & Energy. The publicly listed group has around 30,000 employees and over 280 locations in more than 80 countries.
Case published 18.7.2024
Zendesk – Acquisition of Ultimate Enterprises
We acted as Zendesk, Inc.’s Finnish legal counsel in its acquisition of Ultimate Enterprises Oy, an industry leading provider of service automation using AI technology. The cross-border acquisition was completed in cooperation with the transaction’s lead counsel Allen & Overy. Zendesk is a leading global technology company that provides software-as-a-service and customer experience (CX) products based in the US. The acquisition of Ultimate expands Zendesk’s AI-powered CX offerings.
Case published 26.3.2024
Remondis – Acquisition of all the shares in Delete Group
We acted as the lead counsel to REMONDIS Group and REMONDIS Maintenance & Services International GmbH in a cross-border acquisition of all the shares in Delete Group Oyj from its shareholders, including Axcel, a Nordic private equity firm. The redemption of all Delete Group’s outstanding senior secured notes was also carried out in connection with the transaction. The acquisition complements REMONDIS Maintenance & Services’ existing industrial cleaning business and marks the entry of the REMONDIS Group to the Finnish market. As a result of the transaction, Delete Group became the third industrial cleaning services company in the REMONDIS Group, alongside BUCHEN Industrial Services and REYM. Operating in Finland and Sweden, Delete Group is one of the leading providers of high-quality industrial cleaning services. It employs approximately 675 professionals in 29 locations. The sale and purchase agreement was signed in May 2023. The transaction was notified to the competition authorities in Finland and Sweden. We assisted REMONDIS in notifying the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority. Mannheimer Swartling advised REMONDIS in matters under the laws of Sweden. REMONDIS Maintenance & Services belongs to the REMONDIS Group, one of the world’s largest recycling, service and water companies. REMONDIS employs more than 40,000 employees all around the globe in over 30 countries.
Case published 5.12.2023
KLP – Acquisition of a majority stake in Elisa Videra through a combination with MVC
We are acting as Finnish legal advisor to KLP Vermögensverwaltungs in a combination of its German subsidiary MVC Mobile VideoCommunication with Elisa Videra, a subsidiary of Elisa Corporation, through a share swap. KLP Vermögensverwaltungs will have a 62.5% holding and Elisa Corporation a 37.5% holding in the combined MVC Videra. The transaction is subject to authority approval in Finland and the estimated closing is in December 2023. In 2023, MVC Videra’s combined turnover is expected to be around EUR 45 million with a total of around 150 employees.
Case published 6.11.2023
Excelerate Energy – Chartering an FSRU to Finland
We advised Excelerate Energy on the conclusion of a lease agreement with Gasgrid Finland Oy for the Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) Exemplar. The Inkoo LNG terminal project will have a significant impact on securing the supply of gas to Finland and Estonia as imports of pipeline gas from Russia cease. The Exemplar is the first FSRU in Finland and the Inkoo LNG terminal project is legally unique. Moreover, the project, which is critical for Finland’s and the Baltics’ gas supply, was completed in an exceptionally short timeframe. Our experts assisted the company in a wide range of areas including contracts, energy legislation, licensing, labour law, taxation and structuring.
Case published 9.6.2023
Triton – Platform investment and formation of Habeo Group
We advised Triton Smaller Mid-Cap Fund II in a new platform investment, the formation of Habeo Group, through its acquisition and financing of eight Finnish companies. After the acquisition, Habeo Group has approximately MEUR 120 in net sales with over 600 experts providing a variety of technical building services, such as heating, plumbing and sewerage, ventilation and air conditioning, electrical works, cooling and refrigeration, fire safety and automation. In line with Habeo Group’s strategy, it has acquired successful, locally operating Finnish group companies and is now Finland’s fifth largest player in the industry. Habeo Group continues to implement its strategy through acquisitions that suit its service portfolio in Finland. The eight Habeo Group companies are the following: Afire Oy – A company that provides its clients with the best fire suppression solutions for different purposes in the market. ESP Group – A group of companies specialised in new building and repair construction, offering all HVAC, electricity and automation services reliably and skilfully. HSK Sähkö Oy – A versatile and flexible full-service electrical contractor operating in all of Finland. Neloset Group – A full-service technical building service and construction company providing housing cooperatives with construction and renovation services from a one-stop shop. Respect Group – A group that serves its clients seamlessly in all their repair construction needs. SFT Finntekniikka Oy – A refrigeration expert that provides comprehensive, high-quality service in refrigeration equipment and cooling systems. Sähkö Oy Turku and Helsinki – A group of electrical engineering companies with a large range of services including design, installation, on-site project supervision and subcontracting. Vaasan Kylmäkone Oy – A company that plans, sells, installs and maintains refrigeration equipment and systems for professional use. Since its establishment in 1997, Triton has sponsored ten funds, focusing on businesses in the industrial tech, services, consumer and healthcare sectors. The companies currently in Triton’s portfolio have combined sales of around EUR 18 billion and employ around 105,000 employees. Triton Smaller Mid-Cap Fund II applies Triton’s proven investment strategy to lower mid-market companies in the same core sectors of Services, Healthcare, Industrial Tech and Consumer, using Triton’s in-house operational capabilities and resources to help management teams to sustainably expand their companies’ market position and to implement their growth strategies.
Case published 21.4.2023
Otso Gold – Restructuring Proceedings
Otso Gold Oy, an ore exploration and mining company, filed an application for initiating restructuring proceedings to the Oulu District Court on 3 December 2021. At that time, the company owned the Laivakangas gold mine, which is located in Raahe, Finland, on one of the biggest gold deposits in the Nordic countries. The company’s restructuring proceedings commenced on 17 February 2022, and the District Court ordered Attorney Pekka Jaatinen to serve as the administrator. At the time of commencement of the proceedings, the company was part of the Otso Gold group, whose Canadian parent company Otso Gold Corp is listed on the Toronto stock exchange. Due to the cross-border nature of the group, simultaneous restructuring applications were filed in Finland, Sweden and Canada. Otso Gold needed to carry out a financing and ownership arrangement in order to safeguard the continuation of its business and the fulfilment of its restructuring programme. Through the restructuring proceedings, Otso Gold was able to carry out a corporate transaction whereby the restructuring and the related proceedings were based on the sale of the company’s entire share capital to Pilar Gold Inc., a Canadian gold mining company. Simultaneously, Otso Gold was provided with financing for the implementation of the restructuring programme. Creditors representing over 93% of all debts of Otso Gold supported the restructuring programme based on the transaction concerning the entire company. The District Court of Oulu affirmed the one-day restructuring programme in October 2022 and appointed Attorney Pekka Jaatinen as supervisor of the programme.  The restructuring programme and its payment programme were carried out in their entirety approximately one week later, and the restructuring programme ended successfully on 17 November 2022.
Case published 29.12.2022
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