Management
The Finnish Red Cross Blood Service is the only blood service organisation in Finland. It is authorised and supervised by the Finnish Medicines Agency Fimea, which operates under the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. The Blood Service is also authorised for pharmaceutical wholesale, tissue centre activities, production of cell therapy products (ATMPs) and laboratory work. The Blood Service is part of the Finnish Red Cross (FRC) and has a separate administration.
In between the FRC general assemblies and council meetings, the highest authority in matters regarding the Blood Service is vested in the Board of the FRC, which is also responsible for the activities and finances of the Blood Service. The Board of the FRC appoints the Directorate of the Blood Service.
The duties of the Directorate include, among other things, responsibility for the strategic directions of the operations and monitoring the safety and effectiveness of operational activities. The Directorate comprises a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and four other members, who together represent broad expertise in areas related to the Blood Service’s activities. The Secretary General of the organization has the right to be present and speak at Directorate meetings.
In 2024, the Chairperson of the Directorate of the Blood Service was Piia Aarnisalo, and the other members were Anna Maksimainen, Tarmo Martikainen, Ruut Rissanen, Juha-Petri Ruohola, and Minttu Viitanen. The members received no payment for attending meetings.
The implementation of the Blood Service’s strategy, operational activities, and their development are the responsibility of the Chief Executive of the Blood Service, assisted by the Management Group.
The Chief Executive of the Blood Service was Pia Westman. The Management Group included Johanna Castrén (Blood donation), Jarkko Ihalainen (Medical services and quality management), Heikki Myllyniemi (Digital development and services), Minna Mäki (Research, product development and new services), Johanna Nystedt (Blood products), Katarina Stendahl (Financial services and responsibility), and Willy Toiviainen (Communications and human resources).
The Blood Service organisation on 31.12.2024
