Helsinki, Finland, July 2025 – Petra Miesmaa has been appointed as Vice President, Global People Operations at Valmet, where she will lead a global HR organization comprising over 200 professionals. In this newly elevated role, Petra will oversee seven regional People Operations Directors and drive Valmet’s global HR delivery model with a strong focus on operational excellence, compliance, and aligning people strategy with the company’s business goals. She also joins the company’s People and Culture Leadership Team, playing a pivotal role in advancing employee experience globally.
Prior to this role, Petra served as Director, HR Operations EMEA at Valmet, where she led a team of 120 HR professionals across 26 countries, serving approximately 12,000 employees. She was instrumental in harmonizing HR policies, benefits, and compliance mechanisms across the EMEA region, while also managing labor relations and leading engagement with employee representation bodies like the European Works Council.
Before joining Valmet, Petra held progressive leadership roles at GE HealthCare for nearly five years, where she most recently served as HR Business Partner for Northern Europe. She supported a 3,000-person zone that included the Nordics, Netherlands, UK, and Ireland. Previously, she was the Country HR Manager Nordics, where she led strategic HR programs related to talent, organizational design, and cultural transformation. Her earlier experience also includes the role of Country HR Manager Finland.
Earlier in her career, Petra gained valuable HR leadership experience at Riverty, EVRY Finland, and Luvata, where she managed HR systems, global mobility, and performance management across local and international teams. She also held project management roles at Harvard Medical School and UMass Lowell, contributing to health-focused research and outreach.
About Valmet
Valmet is a global leader in process technologies, automation, and services for the pulp, paper, and energy industries, with expanding solutions in automation and flow control across process industries. Headquartered in Finland, Valmet operates with over 19,000 professionals in more than 40 countries, organized across five business lines and five geographical regions. The company reported EUR 5.5 billion in net sales in 2023 and continues to drive industrial performance forward with innovation, sustainability, and customer-centric solutions at its core.
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