Banijay Finland gets interim bosses after CEO exit

Banijay Finland has made its CFO, COO and CCO interim bosses of the production company after FremantleMedia poached Joonas Hytönen.

“As part of the current management team, CCO Martti Suovinen CCO, CFO Rami Jahkonen, and COO Suvi Oja Heiniemi will become joint interim CEOs,” said Jacob Houlind, Nordic group CEO at Banijay Group in a statement issued to TBI.”We expect to start a recruitment process of a new Banijay Finland CEO by December.”

Hytönen is leaving Banijay Finland to become FremantleMedia Finland’s managing director, and replaces Eerika Vermilä, who has left the business after seven years, the last four of which were as its chief.

He (pictured) is currently CEO of Banijay’s Finnish arm, but will join FremantleMedia’s senior management team in the Nordics, eastern Europe and Balkans region (which FremantleMedia dubs ‘NOREEBA’) in 2016.

Hytönen is best known for overseeing local versions of formats such as The Voice, Top Chef and Find My Family while at Banijay Finland.

Before that, he was head of entertainment at Moskito Television, which is part of the Modern Times Group-owned NICE Entertainment Group). There he worked on shows including Dancing on Ice, Survivor and Kitchen Nightmares.

He also founded his own company, Illusioni, and has presented a number of shows and written for print.

“Joonas knows the Finnish television industry inside out and has a passion for media a strong track record in delivering successful primetime hits in this market,” said Daniela Matei, CEO of FremantleMedia NOREEBA.

Reporting to Matei, Hytönen will oversee programme development and production of FremantleMedia formats.

“There are some exciting opportunities ahead of us and I’m looking forward to working with the talented team at FremantleMedia Finland to turn these into reality.”