Mr. Ilkka O. Lavas, CEO of the media group City Digital, TableOnline and Improve Media, was the winner of the public voting at the Future CEO of the Year election. “Fantastic!” says Lavas.
The selection of a Future CEO of the Year is part of the annual research on the competence, leadership skills and well-being of the CEOs of Finland, as well as the role of the CEO in the value chain of companies. The aim of the research conducted by Ratkaisutoimisto Seedi was to find an answer to the question what is a good CEO of a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) and to grant the recognition of Future CEO of the Year to an exceptional CEO of the future of an SME. The public also had the opportunity to vote for their favourite. The winner of the public voting was Ilkka O. Lavas.
-It was a great honour to be selected and I have great respect for every vote I received. Finland needs bold innovative growth companies and they all have one factor in common: a leader with a face. I want to encourage others to grow boldly, and I am proud of the team and crew with whom we´re going global and creating a revolution in digital media. One of the cornerstones of successful leadership is the ability to hire people better than you. I am proud of our innovative and growth-oriented team and know that every member of the team is equally worthy of this recognition.
City brand makes a full turnaround
Lavas himself has started his career as an entrepreneur and business executive from zero. He has succeeded in growing his cluster of companies step-by-step to a digital media ecosystem that employs over one hundred people, of which the best known – City Digital – has completed a total turnaround under the leadership of Lavas. -We have re-built the business models, processes and structures as a team in a short period of time and been able to find a new direction for the business. I am very proud that, City Digital, which honours the roots of the iconic brand known as City magazine, is today the fastest growing digital media group in Finland.
The hard work has been noticed; last year City Digital was recognized as the second fastest growing growth company in Finland in the Deloitte Fast 50 competition, which involves media, technology and telecommunication companies from around Europe. -This is just the beginning, hints Lavas.