Founded in 2014, Rauma Marine Constructions has grown quickly and become a major Finnish-owned shipbuilding company with an order book of over EUR 1 billion. The company has made changes to its leadership during the spring. Mika Heiskanen (38), who has now been appointed as CEO and President of RMC, will take up his new position after the summer. Until then, the company will be led by the acting CEO Mika Laurilehto.

Mr Heiskanen has an extensive track record in shipbuilding. Most recently, he was responsible for production as an Executive Board Member at Meyer Turku Oy in Turku, Finland. From 2016 to 2020, Heiskanen led the company's hull production, design and engineering. Prior to Meyer Turku, Heiskanen worked in an international role at cruise ship giant Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, where he was responsible for newbuilding projects in Papenburg, Germany. Heiskanen is a graduate of Aalto University, where he studied naval architecture and industrial engineering. He started his career at STX Finland as a sales project engineer and as the main designer of TUI's cruiser prototype.

Heiskanen has also led the Boards of two network companies, Shipbuilding Completion Oy and Technology Design and Engineering Eng’Nd Oy.

RMC operates on a network model. The company has more than 200 employees leading the cooperation with dozens of partner companies, who are responsible for the execution of projects. Mikko Niini, Chairman of RMC’s Board of Directors, finds Heiskanen a perfect fit for the role because of his experience in international projects and leading networked operations.

“Mika Heiskanen has the ability to get RMC back on track towards profitable shipbuilding. He has a strong background in leading networked operations and a clear vision of a customer-oriented operating model in an international market. These support RMC’s strategy in a brilliant way,” Niini says.

RMC is currently finishing Estonian shipping company Tallink’s new car and passenger ferry MYSTAR and building two fast RoPax vessels for Spirit of Tasmania, which will operate the route between mainland Australia and Tasmania. In addition, the production of new combat vessels for the Finnish Defence Forces is about to start.

“I’m proud to become part of RMC’s unique growth story. Together with its highly skilled professional personnel and network of partner companies, RMC can design and produce the most modern, environmentally friendly vessels that create value for RMC’s customers. Close-knit cooperation between competent shipyards and other companies in the industry is the foundation for the competitiveness and future of the Finnish maritime industry. It’s what creates our ability to become the future trailblazer of the industry internationally,” Heiskanen says.

RMC is the only fully Finnish-owned company in its size category, which means decisions will be made and jobs kept in Finland. RMC is specialised in the development, construction and maintenance of icebreakers, car and passenger ferries and defence and government vessels. The company is highly competent in arctic shipbuilding, which forms the basis of Finnish maritime expertise and competitiveness.