Auni Palo, aged 56, took up her duties as Director of Property Development at OP-Pohjola Group on 16 September 2011. She will be in charge of leading an extensive property development project, during which OP-Pohjola Group will renovate its Vallila property in Helsinki and build new office premises with a total floor area of 20,000 square metres.
- Our goal is to provide OP-Pohjola Group with premises of high architectural value and in harmony with the surrounding cityscape, which will support new ways of working in the financial sector in the years to come, says Ms Palo.
- I'm enthusiastic about this project and consider it an exciting challenge. We are about to make a substantial investment which is aimed at providing our employees with the best work premises. In my view, this project is not only about construction but also development, representing OP-Pohjola Group's values and identity.
At the moment, 2,600 employees work on OP-Pohjola Group's premises in Vallila, while the renovated premises and new buildings will accommodate a total of 3,400 employees. According to the preliminary schedule, the project will take four years.
- I firmly believe that my extensive experience in the field of construction and how buildings are used will be very useful in leading this project. After all, work premises such as these are built for people, describes Ms Palo.
Auni Palo is a Master of Science in Engineering (construction). She has years of experience in leading various property projects. For the last 13 years, she has worked as Managing Director of Finlandia Hall.
As a part of its property development project, OP-Pohjola Group is currently running an architectural competition. Its winner will be chosen in November by a jury consisting of representatives of OP-Pohjola Group and the City of Helsinki, among others. The framework for the design competition were approved in May by the City Planning Department of the City of Helsinki.
For more information, please contact:
Auni Palo, Director of Property Development, tel. +358 (0)50 3669169
Heikki Vitie, Chief Administrative Officer, tel. +358 (0)050 2680