Finnish government-owned operator Veikkaus has appointed Jyri Lassi as its new general counsel, effective from 1 September 2025.
Lassi will replace Hanna Kyrki, who leaves at the end of July to take up a position at defence and security firm Summa Defence.
As well as working as Veikkaus’ general counsel, Lassi will also sit on the company’s executive management team.
The operator said the appointment “strongly supports Veikkaus’ strategy to become a modern and competitive money gaming company over the coming years, with strong performance both in the national and international markets”.
Lassi joins Veikkaus from electric vehicle charging firm Virta Global, where he held the position of chief legal officer since his arrival in August 2022.
Prior to that, he held the role of legal counsel at computer hardware company Varjo for two years between October 2020 and August 2022.
His two longest working stints were a four-years spell at PayPal as vice president of legal from 2016 to 2020 and before that eight years with Nokia between 2008 and 2016 in several roles, including as vice-president of legal and compliance.
Olli Sarekoski, Veikkaus CEO, said: “Jyri Lassi brings extensive experience from responsible and challenging legal positions in internationally operating companies.
“I am confident his expertise will help us to move forward decisively and with strong governance in the changing gambling industry landscape.”
On his future role with the state-owned operator, Lassi added: “Veikkaus is at a very interesting turning point as its monopoly position in Finland is being dismantled.
“The new competitive market offers great opportunities for the company to grow and evolve into an even more meaningful player – potentially also internationally.
“It is a privilege to soon be part of this journey and to contribute to Veikkaus’ future direction together with the rest of the team.”
Lassi’s arrival follows the appointment of former IGT vice-president Charles Cohen to Veikkaus’ board as a non-executive director at the start of April.
Finland is set to undergo changes to its gambling market with a multi-licence model set to launch in 2027, ending Veikkaus’ tenure as the monopoly operator in the Nordic country.
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The post Veikkaus appoints former PayPal vice-president of legal as new general counsel first appeared on EGR Intel.
Jyri Lassi will replace Hanna Kyrki at Finland’s state-owned operator and will also sit on its executive management team
The post Veikkaus appoints former PayPal vice-president of legal as new general counsel first appeared on EGR Intel.