Board of Directors

The Board of Directors of Aboa Advest Oy makes all investment decisions and supervises the company's investment activities. The Board of Directors consists of four persons: Mikael Ketonen, Chair, Patrick Anckar, Iiro Hollmén and Timo Ketonen.

Reporting

Investment activities are reported to the Board of Directors at Board meetings four times a year, based on quarterly reporting of the investment targets and VC funds.

The reporting includes an assessment of the likely return on capital for each investment on a scale of 0-3x invested capital.

Investment activities are monitored:

the evolution of the portfolio structure towards the target allocation
the evolution of the value of the investments and their returns
forecasts of investment performance
individual investments
material deviations from the investment strategy (e.g. deviations from the limits set, significant investments in assets that deviate from the criteria set)

Board members

Mikael Ketonen, Chairman of the Board

Tel: +45 24 76 54 74
E-mail: mikael.ketonen@aboa-advest.fi

I am currently working as an Analytics Specialist at Nordisk Interactive in Copenhagen, specializing mainly in gaming and more specifically Sony Playstation. I also have a lot of experience from fast moving consumer goods from my time at the Nike EMEA headquarters in the Netherlands. I have a Bachelor’s degree from Hanken School of Economics and a MScBA from the University of Amsterdam. Having lived in the US, Hong Kong, Netherlands and Denmark, I have a very international business background.

I have a passion for entrepreneurship, investing, sports and all things related to data and insights. I was previously a member of the partners team at Hanken Entrepreneurship Society. Hanken ES’s main goal is to create an opportunity for young entrepreneurs to get inspired and develop an exciting business idea.

In my spare time I like to exercise, especially running and playing tennis. I also enjoy traveling, listening to music and watching movies.

Patrik Anckar, Board member

My mission is to design international businesses with an impact. I have a PhD in marketing, I have done international business for 30 years, and I am proud to call myself an ocean activist.

I am a Professor of Practice at the University of Turku, but also a business executive, so I have the privilege to combine the best of two worlds. I have worked with MNCs, VCs, IPOs, SMES and startups, as an executive, board member. or advisor, in numerous different fields and mostly on a global scale. I have lived in England, Belgium, the US, and Sweden, and have built business networks in more than 70 countries.

Currently I am consulting firms on various strategic and leadership issues, building international brands, offering interim management, coaching entrepreneurs, researchers and executives, orchestrating restructurings and mergers, and nurturing my own start-ups.

My roots are on an island in the Archipelago Sea. which explains my passion for the Sea. Hence, being the other co-founder of A´Pelago, I have embarked on a new mission to Reclaim the Seas. My mindset is focused on fostering growth combined with impactful change.

Iiro Hollmén, Board member and secretary

I work as a partner and attorney at Edelle Attorneys at Law. With nearly 20 years of experience as an attorney, I strive to integrate legal expertise effectively into business operations. I regularly assist clients in planning and executing numerous mergers and acquisitions of various sizes. I specialize in corporate law assignments, often with tax law connections. My typical engagements involve advising on financing and ownership arrangements for startups and growth companies, where I act as an advisor to both founders and investors.

Outside of my professional life, I find solace in the archipelago and sailing, as well as enjoying nature in general. These activities are close to my heart and provide a refreshing balance to my legal career.

Timo Ketonen, CEO & Founder

Tel: +358 400 831 205
E-mail: timo.ketonen@aboa-advest.fi

With a background in Swedish education in Finland, I graduated from the Business School at Åbo Akademi University in 1988. Since then, my career has spanned finance, media, service design, and venture capital. I have built a strong foundation in impact investing, particularly in DeepTech sectors and the Blue Economy. This experience has allowed me to create long-term investment strategies that align financial returns with societal and environmental benefits.

Currently, I serve as Chair of TS-Yhtymä (TS Group), a 120-year-old family investment and media company. This role reflects my dedication to fostering innovation and growth in transitioning industries, especially through digital transformation. I draw inspiration from my Grandmother, Irja Helena Ketonen, who was Managing Director and later Chair of the media business from the 1950s until her passing in 1988. Despite coming from a modest background, she became a strong leader and wise matriarch, contributing to society by founding various charities. Her philanthropic efforts extended to donations for causes like the cancer foundation in Southwest Finland and the Foundation for Economic Education in Finland. One of her key lessons was to recruit individuals who are more knowledgeable than oneself, a principle I now apply to promote gender equality and multicultural competencies in today's world.

As the Partner and Co-founder of A’Pelago since 2022, my focus is on spearheading science-based business initiatives to restore sea regions and drive economic vitality. Collaborating with over 800 organisations and 2,500 professionals, our work fosters an impact-led ecosystem dedicated to sustainable development. We are part of the 1000 Ocean Startups accelerating innovation for ocean health. We can help regenerate it through our Nordic Blue Accelerator programme. My expertise in new business development and strategic partnerships directly supports our mission to enhance the Baltic Sea region and beyond.

Personally, I am also engaged with Redstone Norcis with its Redstone Blue Fund I, a fund for the blue economy in the Baltic Sea region and beyond. I am also an advisor and shareholder in Aether Capital Partners in London, with its Canopy Catalyst Fund, a private equity impact fund investing in the sustainable materials sector.

My hobbies include sailing, tennis, reading books and music. I play guitar in DoubleTrouble Family Band and have recently started to write my own songs & lyrics together with my bandmates. We have written and released many ocean related songs like 'Life on a Skerry', 'Sailing to a Distant Shore', and 'Mot nya äventyr' (in Swedish) available on all music streaming platforms.

I enjoy learning different languages, listening and observing is the key to understanding local culture. I’ve lived in Finland, Sweden, the UK and USA. My sailing trips have taken place across the Baltic Sea, from Norway to Svalbard, in the Caribbean Sea and the South Seas.

Nowadays I live year-round on an island in the archipelago in SW Finland and we also have a city apartment in Åbo (Turku).