Noventia has gained a strong addition to its team as Kimmo Niemistö started in the role of Senior Vice President, Nordic in the autumn. In his position, he is responsible for Noventia’s Nordic operations and growth.
He brings with him extensive experience in procurement, technology, and international B2B SaaS business, along with a strong vision of how responsible supplier management can create a competitive advantage for organizations in the Nordics and globally.
A career that naturally leads to the current role
Kimmo’s career began in environmental management and management systems. He completed his master’s thesis on the implementation of the ISO 14001 environmental management system and founded his first company based on this work, focusing on process consulting in quality and environmental management.
He has since held several commercial and leadership positions in the ICT sector, including serving as an interim CEO and leading subsidiaries. His roles have consistently combined sales, business development, and technology at their intersection.
Before joining Noventia, Kimmo led Mercell Suomi Oy for six years. The company operates in the field of public procurement and eProcurement solutions. After that, he moved to Sweden, where he served as CEO of IDkollen i Sverige AB, overseeing the development and international growth of digital identity SaaS services.
“Throughout my career, I’ve essentially worked in roles where technology, data, and commercial responsibility come together. That’s why Noventia’s operating environment feels like a very natural next step.”
Experience that supports Noventia’s next phase of growth
Kimmo highlights two key perspectives through which his background directly supports Noventia’s future.
First, he has a deep understanding of the industry and customer base. The world of public procurement, large buying organizations, and supplier management tools is already familiar to him -both from a hands-on and a strategic perspective. This, he believes, enables fast onboarding into Noventia’s solution and customers’ everyday realities.
Second, he brings long-term experience in building international growth in a B2B SaaS environment: opening new markets, developing partnership models, and supporting sales organizations. This provides a strong foundation for Noventia’s next steps in the Nordic markets.
Kimmo also emphasizes the importance of Finnish values as part of Noventia’s story:
“Openness, trustworthiness, and honesty are values that work everywhere - ,and they fit perfectly with the responsible supplier management market.”
The first 30 days at Noventia – “Easy to join”
The first month at Noventia has reinforced Kimmo’s view of the company as a workplace and community.
He describes the team culture as warm and welcoming: new colleagues are quickly included, and information flows naturally. Responsibility is shared evenly - everyone owns their role, but no one is left alone. A sense of purpose emerged early for Kimmo, as he saw firsthand how strongly the team values customer success and how deeply responsible supplier management is seen as a shared mission.
Customer satisfaction has also made a strong impression. It is visible not only in numbers and metrics, but in the way daily work is done.
“It’s been great to see how much this work truly matters to people here. It shows in customer satisfaction, but also in everyday execution.”
Kimmo says he thrives best in environments where things are not just planned - but actually done.
“I’m very much a hands-on person. That’s how you really understand what’s happening and where you can make an impact.”
Clear potential for international expansion
Noventia is already multilingual, and its solution is used in several countries, providing a strong foundation for further international growth. Kimmo sees several market drivers supporting this development.
First, sustainability requirements are becoming increasingly stringent. Companies are looking for ways to ensure transparency and control across their supply chains - and Noventia’s solution is built precisely for this purpose. Upcoming regulations such as the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) are strongly guiding EU companies in this direction.
Second, the target customers are large, professionally managed purchasing organizations operating across multiple markets. When models and processes are unified, it becomes natural to scale supplier management solutions from one country to another.
Third, international growth can be supported through systematic, data-driven marketing and targeted communication without requiring disproportionate investments at an early stage.
“This is a market where even small steps can take you far. The product is ready - it’s about finding the right customers at the right time.”
The months ahead: execution and growth
In the coming months, Kimmo is mostly looking forward to turning plans into concrete actions and results. He wants to be involved in shortening sales cycles, increasing awareness of Noventia’s solution among Nordic organizations, and taking the next steps on the international growth path.
At the same time, he sees his role as supporting the entire sales and customer team - aiming to build models that make every day work smoother and enable an even better customer experience.
“It’s exciting to bring Finnish, responsible supplier management to the world together with this team.”
Kimmo Niemistö brings Noventia a strong combination of industry expertise, international experience, and values-based leadership. His first weeks have reinforced the view that Noventia is a place where responsible supplier management is genuinely seen as important - both from the perspective of customers and society.
A welcome addition to the Noventia team
“Noventia is a place where the right things are done. This is a great foundation to move forward—step by step, but boldly.”
