IONCOR leadership and board members

Roberts Abele joined IONCOR from Vitesco Technologies, where he held the position of Senior Vice President and General Manager of Global Powertrain Controls based in the USA.

Roberts has 30 years of experience with leading global automotive suppliers. He has a proven track record of growing a multibillion-dollar business globally in a highly technical and competitive market. He is also well known for empowering employees and his commitment to corporate success.

Ville Jaakonsalo has served in several executive finance-related positions, most recently prior to joining IONCOR as CFO in Patria Group, where he was also responsible for the strategic transformation to a new operational model.

His earlier positions include Metsä Fibre CFO and Group treasurer in Metsä Group. Ville brings a wealth of expertise to the strategic transformation of the company.

Christian Kleinhans joined Valmet Automotive and IONCOR in 2017. In 2023, he became co-leader of the EV Systems Business Line before the appointment to his current position in IONCOR.

Christian has been intensively involved with electromobility and the resulting disruptive impact on the automotive and off-highway industries since 2008.

Manuel Ötsch joined IONCOR and Valmet Automotive in 2021 as Director of the Kirchardt battery plant in Germany and was appointed to his current position leading the company’s all EV plants in 2022.

Manuel previously worked for Motherson Group managing plants in Germany, the USA and Eastern Europe, and for Magna Mirrors in various management positions.

Pia Valve joined IONCOR as a Senior Vice President HR. She came from Viking Malt, where she held the position of VP HR & Communications, overseeing the HR function in five countries. Previously, Pia held senior HR positions in several industries, working in international environments.

Pia has extensive experience in aligning HR strategy with business goals, building high-performing teams and fostering employee engagement and organizational development.

Christian Honeck joined Valmet Automotive in 2024 as Program Director and was appointed to his current position at IONCOR to lead the company’s all activities regarding EV Program Management.

Christian has previously worked for various leading brands in the automotive industry, including ElringKlinger, Samsung SDI Battery Systems and Magna. He has extensive project lead experience in multicultural environment for international customers.

Mathias Würges joined IONCOR and Valmet Automotive in 2020 to lead the Engineering. Mathias has 30 years of experience with the development of safety relevant electromechanical systems in globally operating system supplier companies.

He has previously worked in industry leading companies, such as Bosch, Continental and NSK, in various engineering management positions.

Jarkko Sairanen joined Valmet Automotive Board of Directors in 2010 and has acted as the Chairman since 2014, and now acts in the same position also for IONCOR. He has over 30 years of experience in leading high-tech companies in Finland, Germany, France and the USA.

Sairanen has a strong acumen in building new business, transforming old ones as well as creating high-performing teams.

Sven Ennerst was appointed to Valmet Automotive Board of Directors in 2022 and has now joined the IONCOR Board.

He pursued an international management career at Daimler for more than 30 years. At Daimler Trucks, Sven was responsible for Global Product Engineering and Procurement, and has broad experience in the automotive business and innovation management.

Jyrki Tähtinen is one of the leading experts in fund formation and private equity in Finland. He advises companies on private and public acquisitions and corporate governance matters.

Jyrki has also acted as administrator and liquidator in several major corporate transactions.