“Operating under a common brand will enable us to better highlight the Group’s strong and diverse expertise, which is currently divided under multiple brands,” says Samu Konttinen, CEO of Loihde.
The name Loihde reflects several important aspects: people, competence and roots. Loihde is a service company whose role is to bend technology to people’s needs and to make complex things easy. The company’s history can be traced back to 1882, when a group of merchants in Vaasa established Oy Waasan Telefooniyhdistys to bring people together and promote business. This means that Loihde has shaped the future across three centuries.
“The building blocks of our common brand are the factors that all of our companies have in common, and they were easy to identify. We focus on people. This includes our customers, who are the purpose of what we do, and our employees, who are the creators of our success. This is summarised in our slogan People first since 1882”, Konttinen explains. The name Loihde is also proof of the creativity of the company’s personnel – it was the result of an internal competition to come up with a new name.
Growth through digital development and security solutions
Loihde operates in the field of digital services and security solutions, which are growing markets and important for the development of society. The common denominator between these operating segments is that the digital world and the physical world are becoming increasingly intertwined, which creates significant opportunities for customers’ business development while also presenting new threats.
In the digital development business, Loihde helps its customers utilise data and digitalisation in creating a better customer experience and achieving competitive advantages. Loihde provides business intelligence, data analytics and digitalisation solutions that range from service and user interface design to software development.
Loihde’s security business is focused on ensuring the security of people and information as well as the continuity of customers’ business. In our networked world, this calls for both digital and physical security. Loihde’s security solutions comprise cyber security services as well as physical security, such as locking and security technology solutions.
“Our goal is to grow and improve our profitability in both of our businesses. The rapid digital transformation of society creates demand for our digital development society while also increasing the need for cyber security and cloud-based solutions. Through our solutions, we can enhance our customers’ competitiveness in a world that is becoming increasingly digital while ensuring the continuity of their business,” Samu Konttinen says. “We will also seek growth by continuing to make targeted acquisitions that support our strategy,” Konttinen adds.
Loihde is exploring listing its shares on the First North market
For a long time now, Loihde has stated that listing on a stock exchange is one strategic option for enhancing the price formation of the company’s share in a liquid marketplace. The company is currently exploring opportunities to apply for its shares to be listed for trading on the Nasdaq First North Growth Market Finland market (First North) maintained by Nasdaq Helsinki Oy. The company’s Board of Directors will issue further information on the outcome of this exploration and the implementation and schedule of the potential listing when the exploration process has been completed. If the exploration process and the market conditions support the idea of listing the company’s shares, this could take place in autumn 2021 at the earliest. The potential listing would be carried out as a technical listing, which means that no share issue or sale would be arranged in connection with it.
“With nearly 30,000 shareholders, Loihde is one of the largest unlisted companies in Finland. The benefits of listing will be evaluated particularly from the perspective of increasing shareholder value. Improving the liquidity of the share and enhancing its price formation would clearly support shareholder value. In addition, enhanced price formation would promote the use of the company’s share as a payment instrument in potential acquisitions and as part of employee incentive schemes,” Samu Konttinen concludes.
Alexander Corporate Finance Oy will serve as Loihde’s financial adviser and the Certified Adviser of the potential listing. Loihde’s legal adviser is Castrén & Snellman Attorneys Ltd and the communications adviser is Hill+Knowlton Strategies.
Further information
CEO Samu Konttinen
Media contact: tiina.nieminen (at) viria.fi
Loihde Group in brief
Loihde is an expert organisation specialising in digital development and security solutions. We help our customers create growth and competitiveness through digitalisation while ensuring the security of people and information and the continuity of business. The Loihde Group consists of the parent company Loihde Plc and its subsidiaries Viria Security Ltd, Aureolis Oy, Bitfactor Oy, Tansec Oy, Spellpoint Ltd and Viria Kiinteistöt Oy. The Group has approximately 710 employees and its revenue in 2020 amounted to EUR 106.8 million.