From the CEO
CEO Repe Harmanen in connection with the business review for the period 1 January–31 March 2026
As expected, the first quarter marked a transitional phase. The weaker result compared to the reference period reflects the strong performance of the comparison period, the low activity in the current market and the completion of last year’s large projects. More importantly, sales performed clearly better than we expected, and demand has gradually increased. This provides a solid foundation for a stronger second half of the year.
Several major customer projects, both in scale and strategic importance, will kick off during the spring, as previously announced. These projects support revenue growth and enhance forward visibility. The structural changes implemented last year, such as clarifying the organisation, reorganising sales, and simplifying operating models, are already reflected in a sharper focus and in strengthened sales and delivery capabilities.
The market environment in Finland remains challenging, with continued price pressure. At the same time, demand for greater efficiency, data utilisation, and AI adoption continues to grow. In parallel, expectations around secure delivery and data protection are becoming increasingly central. For us, cybersecurity and data protection are not standalone elements, but a strategic, cross-cutting strength. This reinforces our decision to focus on data, integration, and AI solutions, as well as to expand our customer base into the private sector.
In AI we are taking the next significant step: establishing a company-wide, fully AI-assisted virtual team tasked with driving transformation across our operations, our customers, and our solutions. Our goal is to drive structural improvements in productivity and competitiveness. At the same time, we acknowledge that in many mission-critical environments, functional and security requirements set clear boundaries that will inevitably limit the use of fully AI-enabled approaches. This is also the right and responsible stance for our customers – compromising on these would have serious consequences.
In the second and third quarters, our focus will be on two parallel areas: the disciplined implementation of the current strategy and the defining the direction for the coming years. The goal is to ensure that we take advantage of the AI-driven transformation and structural changes in the market faster and more consistently than our competitors.
While the beginning of the year represents a transitional phase, the development in sales, the projects now kicking off, and a strengthening project pipeline support our view of clear progress towards a stronger second half of the year.
I want to thank our employees for their commitment and hard work. The change negotiations at the turn of the year are now behind us, and our focus is clearly on the road ahead. Together, we are building the next phase of Netum’s development.
Wishing you an excellent spring and summer ahead of our half-year report in August.