The Blood Service’s Chief Executive and Management Group
The Blood Service’s regulations determine the main principles to be followed in the administration and management of the Blood Service. The regulations describe the Blood Service’s decision-making procedures, which explain lines of reporting, the division of tasks, and bodies’ areas of responsibility.
The Blood Service’s Management Group
The Blood Service’s Chief Executive, aided by the Management Group, is in charge of the operations and development of the Blood Service:
Pia Westman, Chief Executive of the Blood Service
Jarkko Ihalainen, Medical Services and quality management
Johanna Castrén, Blood donations
Johanna Nystedt, Blood products
Katarina Stendahl, Financial services and sustainability
Heikki Myllyniemi, Digital development and services
Willy Toiviainen, Communications and marketing, HR services
Minna Mäki, Research, product development and new services
The Directorate of the Blood Service
The Blood Service is part of the Finnish Red Cross and has a separate administration. During the period between Finnish Red Cross general meetings and council meetings, the highest authority in issues relating to the Blood Service is the Board of the Finnish Red Cross, which is also responsible for the finances and operations of the Blood Service. The Board of the Finnish Red Cross appoints the Blood Service’s Directorate.
The duties of the Directorate of the Blood Service include strategic planning and supervising the safety and effectiveness of operations. The Directorate of the Blood Service comprises a chairperson, a deputy chairperson and four members. Together, they represent multidisciplinary expertise within the areas of the Blood Service’s activities. The Secretary General of the organisation is entitled to attend and speak at Directorate meetings. No meeting attendance fees are paid to the members of the Directorate.
The members of the Directorate of the Blood Service are:
Piia Aarnisalo, Chair (Director, Public Health and Welfare, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, from 6.5.2024)
Anna Maksimainen (Senior Partner, Nordic Healthcare Group (NHG))
Tarmo Martikainen (Director of the Wellbeing Services Counties of Southwest Finland)
Ruut Rissanen (Director, planning, Council of Tampere Region)
Juha-Petri Ruohola (Surgeon General of the Finnish Defence Forces)
Minttu Viitanen (Managing Director, Public Services, Accenture Finland)
A list is maintained of matters dealt with by the Directorate of the Blood Service.