Meet Finntack's Chairman on Our 41st Anniversary

As Finntack gallops into its 41st year, we invite you to meet the esteemed leader of our 'cavalry,' steering us to success. 🐎🎉 #MeetOurChairman


1. Can you tell us briefly about your childhood and youth? Where is Ensio Hytönen from?

I was born in a community called Konnevesi on the border between Central Finland and Savo in 1952, which was the year of the Summer Olympics in Finland. I am the son of a farmer whose main production on the farm was dairy. When mechanisation of agriculture took place in the 1960s, I also had a few workhorses up until the 1970s. In my childhood, we were living in the post-war era and the countryside was still being cleared of forest for more farmland.


2. What educational background do you have and how has your education supported your career path?

In the 1960s, rural towns began to have primary schools (now called comprehensive schools) and secondary schools. I started secondary school in Konnevede and continued after that to the nearest upper secondary school in Suolahde from which I graduated in 1972. After my military service, I continued my studies at the Kauppaoppilaitos, and then at the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry of the University of Helsinki. I graduated from there as an agronomist (MSc of Agro and Forest Science).


3. Can you share the most important milestones in your career with us?

My first job was in the dairy industry in the late 1970s. I had already done my specialist work for Valio and continued on working there. The most significant years in the dairy industry were certainly the restructuring of the industry in the 1990s. This was mainly related to Finland's accession to the European Union and the adaptation of our food industry to the EU system. In practice, this meant rationalising the whole industry by merging dairies and centralising the industry, sales and marketing activities in Valio. The dairy cooperatives were then transformed into the current Valio Oy. I myself was already the managing director of such a cooperative in the 1990s.

I worked for nearly 20 years in the dairy industry. In the late 1990s, I was Vice President of Atria Oy for just under two years before I was offered the opportunity to become Managing Director of Hankkija Oy. I then spent almost 20 years as CEO of Hankkija.


4. Since 2020 you have been Chairman of the Board of Finntack and are currently also a co-owner. What inspired you to get involved in Finntack?

During my years as an acquirer, I got to know Finntack Ltd and the company's management at the time, as well as many people in the company. In the early 2000s, both Hankkija and Finntack were building up their own equestrian businesses. When I retired from Hankkija Oy, I continued to keep in touch with Johannes Nevanlinna in particular, and somehow it felt natural and easy to join the company in 2020.


5. How do you see Finntack's future and what strategy do you think will help the company achieve its goals?

Finntack Ltd is involved in fierce international competition. As a company, we have a strong position in many markets and a very skilled workforce as well. The critical success factors in our industry are probably the skills and motivation of the people involved in the company, the continuous improvement of our operating methods, and thus the control of our costs compared to our competitors. In the business world, different companies' business models compete with each other and therefore the company that can develop its own business better than its competitors will be the one that succeeds. Finntack Ltd's strategy is now mainly based on the development of e-commerce, while keeping a foothold in wholesale. We are not giving up the stores completely but want to keep a feel for the store business and a place for us to sell and present our products and services. I personally believe that we have good opportunities to grow and further strengthen our position in different markets.


6. What values and principles have guided your management in different companies?

My experience in the corporate world is that both the company and every individual should set high goals, but in a way that makes the goals realistic to achieve. One of the most important prerequisites for success is an approach based on honesty and transparency. In this way, people in the company can trust each other and feel involved in the joys and sorrows of the company. A team playing for a common goal is a winning team.


7. You are still an active man by all accounts, and you don't seem to have any leisure problems. What do you do during the day outside the office?

After I retired, I bought a farm from my relatives in Jämsä and have been running it for the last few years. We grow hay for the horses in the fields and try to manage the forests as well as possible. There is always more work to do on the farm than you can manage.


8. Have you also written some books during your life? Can you tell us more about these? Are there any new books or perhaps a biography in the pipeline for the coming years?

I have been interested in history all my life. My writing hobby has involved writing in a historical style about companies and their activities in which I have been involved. There is no writing career in the pipeline at the moment, although I do have a number of interesting writing topics in mind. However, I have no plans to write a biography.


9. Finally, have you had a "motto" in your life that you would like to share with us?

There hasn’t been any single motto in my life, but my basic idea has been: "By trying you have a chance to succeed".