JYP dropped a big news - the CEO is changing!

A change will occur in the position of CEO of JYP at the beginning of next year. The Jyväskylä club announced on Friday that Ville Harvia, 40, will start as the new CEO of the club on February 1, 2027.

Harvia will succeed Risto Korpela, 63, who has led JYP since May 2019. However, Korpela will not leave the club entirely, as he will continue in the organization as a senior advisor under a permanent contract.

– Behind me are colorful just over seven years, during which I have developed quite a JYP heart. I am very pleased that we can make such a controlled CEO transition in the company well in advance of the full opening of the new arena and my approaching retirement age. And the timeline allows me to still make a good sprint on my own JYP finish line and help Ville in every way possible, Korpela says in JYP’s announcement.

Harvia will start working at JYP already at the beginning of December, when he will take over the management of the club’s sales and marketing.

Harvia is moving to JYP from the sauna stove manufacturer Harvia, where he has worked as a key account manager and was responsible for the company’s stove sales in Finland. He is also already familiar with JYP’s organization, as he has been a member of the board of JYP Jyväskylä Oy for the past couple of years. Additionally, he serves as the vice chairman of JYP Juniorit ry.

– Harvia would have had a good opportunity to continue, but I couldn’t pass up this kind of opportunity. Leading such a great club comes perhaps once in a lifetime, so I gratefully and humbly seize the opportunity, Harvia says.

– I want to thank Harvia and my colleagues for the wonderful years. At Harvia, I learned what it means to build customer relationships and sales in a successful company. I will bring that expertise to JYP, which is at a historic juncture with the completion of the new Hippos arena, Harvia continues.

The chairman of the board of JYP Jyväskylä Oy, Jukka Seppänen, considers the arrangement successful. According to him, Harvia will have enough time to thoroughly familiarize himself with his new role and will receive support from Korpela even after the CEO transition.

– From the company’s perspective, we are getting the best possible timing and approach for this CEO change. Ville will have enough time to get acquainted with the role, and he will receive help from Risto even after the transition. This way, the new CEO will have all the essential documented and tacit knowledge from the house as a foundation for his work.