Uponor's leaders through time

Every leader in Uponor's history has influenced the company in some way. In order to understand the company, one must become acquainted with the men behind it.

The founder of the company, Aukusti Asko-Avonius, was a self-educated visionary who understood the benefits of serial production and saw that people in a strongly developing nation would need plenty of affordable household goods. He began his journey in the backwoods of Karelia and built a business empire that included the largest furniture manufacturer in the Nordic countries.

Asko-Avonius was succeeded by his son, Arvi Tammivuori, who inherited his father's entrepreneurial spirit and business drive. He was the father of Upo, a sister company to Asko, which became a leading domestic manufacturer of household appliances and metal goods. Tammivuori insisted on entering the plastics business despite the opposition of most of his colleagues.

The first from outside the family to run the business was Karl-Jan Govenius, the dynamic leader during the start-up phase of the plastic pipe business. Govenius realised that one needs to focus on fittings alongside pipes in order to achieve a breakthrough in plastic pipe systems. He also worked actively to promote Nordic industry standards and established a strong network of contacts with other key players in Europe, both of these factors turning out to play a key role in the future success of the business.

Heimo Eloranta is considered by many as The Father of Uponor, meaning the joint venture company Oy Uponor Ab, established in 1982. Eloranta's role in creating the company strategy and culture was central in the success of the business all through the 1980s and long after his resignation. It was on his initiative that the company turned its attention to hot water systems (=housing solutions). He also cherished the vision that Uponor would become one the three largest plastic pipe companies in the world in the 1990s, which was realised at the end of the decade as Uponor's net sales reached the top industry level.

Heikki Mairinoja continued along the path set by his predecessor. During Marinoja's time, the company continued its aggressive acquisition programme, both in the municipal engineering and housing solutions sectors, in order to strengthen its position internationally. The company continued to implement a policy of keeping central administration small and allowing regional subsidiaries a lot of freedom in developing and managing their business.

Uponor's next steps were led by Jarmo Rytilahti, who was centrally involved in Asko's management in the effort to make the company profitable again, after the financial turmoil of the 80s. Rytilahti completed the dismantling of the conglomerate structure, including divestments of non-core operations, which resulted in the company focussing on plastic pipe systems and the merger with its subsidiary Oy Uponor Ab. After the merger, he headed the new Uponor, which further consolidated its operations, and began the integration process by reducing the number of brands.

By the beginning of the 21st Century, it was time for something new. Along came Jan Lång who created the One Unified Uponor process, following in the footsteps of his predecessor. Lång launched a forced strategic evolution highlighting the key focus areas: growth, a corporate brand and operational excellence. During his time, the company launched a one brand strategy globally, implemented international management and business processes, and started a reorganisation process where sales & marketing and the supply chain were separated from one another, in order to focus on maximising the firm's strengths and synergy gains.