Laura Räty, board chair of the pension company Keva confirmed that Keva CEO Merja Ailus filed a resignation notice of her own accord. The Board was unanimous in its decision to accept Ailus’ resignation; her last day on the job will be December 6 of this year. According to Räty, Aulis will receive severance pay equivalent to one year's salary, or 303,000 euros, in line with her employment contract.
“We felt a breach of trust had developed due to reasons already covered in the news - ambiguities with regard to receiving social security and a lack of clarity in the interpretation of competition law – those kinds of things,” Räty said.
She stressed that the lack of confidence was in no way attributable to the executive benefits Ailus enjoyed under her employment agreement. Her perks, a second apartment in the city and a luxurious car, triggered outcry earlier this month in the media and Ailus has been the target of close scrutiny ever since.
“In an organisation like Keva, the issue of trust is very important. As chair, I should be able to count on the fact that persons in charge of effective management are able to operationally manage the house,” says Räty.
Investigation pending
Räty said she hoped that operations at Keva would now return to normal. Current Executive Vice President Pekka Alanen will begin work as Acting Managing Director, effective immediately. Räty was not able to say when a new CEO will be chosen.
Keva’s Board of Directors has a big job in store as it re-examines its management systems and rules, among other things. This will also include an examination of the current benefits and how they are managed, Räty added.
In response to a Ministry of Finance request the Keva board will implement a targeted audit to assess the Executive Committee members’ car purchases and other fringe benefits. The audit results will be presented to the Board of Directors in a meeting scheduled for December 18.