As we are celebrating Evli’s 40th birthday, we sat down with our CEO Maunu Lehtimäki to reflect on what the future holds.
What has been the reasons for Evli’s successful 40 years in the business?
We have worked and lived by the same values — entrepreneurial mindset, continuous learning, valuable relationships, and integrity — for 40 years, and these values feel even more relevant today. Our entrepreneurial mindset and attitude to continuous learning help us stay agile, change tack when needed, and not only seize opportunities but also create them. Valuable relationships guide us in how we treat our clients and each other. And integrity is the key ingredient in building trust, which is the most valuable currency in this business. The world is changing, as do we as a company. But the fundamental values guiding the way we act remain the same.
How are the values visible in Evli’s culture today?
Our entrepreneurial mindset is reflected in the way we give responsibility to our employees. We encourage them to take responsibility at an early stage, backed by our guidance and support. And we inspire our teams to approach every challenge with curiosity and ownership.
Continuous learning is embedded in our daily work — whether through sharing insights across teams or with colleagues at the coffee machine or investing in professional development. This ensures we remain ahead of the curve and deliver exceptional value.
Strong relationships are the foundation of trust. Internally, we collaborate openly and respect diverse perspectives. Externally, we build partnerships that last, grounded in transparency and mutual trust. These connections enable us to navigate complexity together and achieve shared success.
Integrity is non-negotiable. It means doing things right, even when it’s not the easiest path. For our clients, it translates into clear communication, responsible advice, and unwavering commitment to their goals. For each other, it means fostering a culture of accountability and respect.
Has Evli’s role in society changed during the years?
Our role is to help our clients grow and manage their wealth according to their goals, and that has not changed. When people prosper, societies thrive, creating a safer world for everyone. Integrity is a core value and doing things right has always guided us. We were early in taking environmental considerations into our risk analysis, and today sustainability factors are an integral and natural part of our investment process. For example, rather than focusing on exclusion, we look at how we can play our part in financing the energy transition of fossil fuel-based industries towards lower fossil fuel dependency. We take a broad view of sustainability, encompassing also societal benefits and human rights.
The world is in many ways at an inflection point with big geopolitical shifts and the rise of AI. What do you see as potential threats and possibilities?
The rise of AI, elevated geopolitical tensions, challenging demographics and indebted countries are all significant challenges. Europe needs to step up and live up to the potential as an economic powerhouse with a population of more than 500 million people. Currently, it seems like EU’s biggest export is regulation. Erasing some regulative hurdles will be necessary to make the European economy grow. If successful, the European stock market has considerable potential. A stronger European economy would of course also support other asset classes, including private equity. When it comes to AI, major productivity gains have yet to appear consistently in the data, which raises the question of whether parts of the sector may be experiencing a bubble. But every turning point also brings a host of possibilities. The world is making giant strides across numerous research fields, and every year new entrepreneurial wealth is created.
What will Evli and the asset management industry look like in 40 years. Will there even be asset managers or will AI do all the work?
The world is becoming increasingly complex and harder to predict. There is a huge amount of data available, and for asset managers, AI is an important tool to make the work more efficient. We use it to process massive data sets which enable real-time analysis, enhancing our decision-making. It reduces human errors and enables real-time analysis and execution across markets. Overall, we become more efficient in customising portfolios. But I believe the asset management industry will remain a people-driven business, and especially for us at Evli, where premium customer experience and long-term client relationships have always been central to our culture. Robots do not give you piece of mind, a portfolio manager you trust does.
Any predictions on what the world will look like in 2065?
If someone had told me in 1985 what the world would look like today, I never would have believed them! I find it hard, if not impossible, to predict the future. What I can say, though, is that the world 40 years from now will look very different from the one we know today. A new generation of investors will be making the decision, equipped with new tools and new ways of working. We are already now seeing that younger generations embrace investing with fresh approaches and pursue broader ambition to make a positive impact.
The future is always uncertain and together we can support each other in navigating it. My advice is to approach the future with curiosity and accept that there will always be surprises along the way. But what you can do is make sure you are resilient when those surprises come. There is never a wrong time to start investing. Building up a well-diversified portfolio over time will give you financial resilience to whatever the future brings. The biggest mistake you can make in investing is to never start at all.
