Kotikangas, from Oulu, has previously held management positions in the banking world and an architectural firm.
Football club AC Oulu’s new CEO Jani Kotikangas moves to the position from the architectural office.
Kotikanga has long experience in banking and entrepreneurship. Kotikkanka, who is from Oulu, started his working career in the financial administration of companies, from which he later moved to Suupohja Osuuspankki. He has also been founding a corporate bank and acted as the bank’s regional manager, first responsible for the branch network in Northern Finland and later also for the network in Southern Finland. In 2019, Kotikangas changed fields and became the CEO of the Oulu-Helsinki architectural firm Kanttia 2.
Kotikangas sees the jump to football leadership as a positive change.
– You rarely come across a similar task in your hometown. I see a lot of opportunities to develop operations and help the club with my own strengths, says Kotikangas.
The chairman of the board and the largest owner of AC Oulu Tomi Kaismon according to experience decided the choice of Kotikkanka. There are 20 applicants in total.
– Jan’s performances from previous tasks, iron-clad motivation and the way he approaches people convinced us really strongly, Kaismo states.
AC Oulu made a loss of around 650,000 euros in the financial period between December 2022 and November 2023. The club’s turnover in the fiscal year was approximately EUR 1.9 million, which was EUR 600,000 more than in the previous fiscal year.
AC Oulu’s previous CEO Hanna Väänänen was the first female CEO of Veikkausliiganseuara. He said in mid-April that he would retire from the position in mid-June.