Youpret has announced Mikko Koponen as the new CEO, who will take the lead of the company on 9 March 2026. The previous CEO, Heikki Vepsäläinen, will continue in the company in the role of Chief Technology Officer. With this change, the company particularly wants to invest in commercial growth, scaling international business operations, and technology development.
Before joining Youpret, Koponen worked as Sales Director at Koneosapalvelu Oy and as CEO at Kithydro Oy. He gained ten years of experience in software development and international business at Blancco Oy, a company specialized in data erasure, where he last served as Chief Operating Officer.
“Youpret’s story and its journey to become one of Finland’s largest providers of interpreting services has interested me for a long time. Having familiarized myself better with the company, I have been particularly impressed by the genuine desire to build responsible language services that make people’s lives easier. Strong customer-centricity, integrity, and transparency in operations align well with my own values. Youpret is at an interesting stage where growth is combined with internationalization and the technological disruption accelerated by artificial intelligence,” says Mikko Koponen, CEO of Youpret.
Youpret’s board of directors searched for a new CEO for the company at a steady pace. Koponen’s experience and commercial and technical expertise convinced the board. Vepsäläinen’s full-time shift to technology development also helps the company leverage all the possibilities brought on by artificial intelligence and language technology alongside high-quality, human-delivered interpreting.
“I believe Mikko is exactly the right person to be Youpret’s new CEO based on his experience and expertise. The fact that he comes to Youpret from another industry is, in my opinion, an asset and brings new perspectives and operating models to the work. Youpret has many interesting opportunities ahead, and I believe Mikko will be able to lead the company into a new kind of growth,” says Teemu Purmonen, Chairman of Youpret’s Board of Directors.
About Youpret
Youpret is a Finnish company specializing in interpretation and translation services and language technology. Its goal is to be the most responsible operator in the language industry and to support the daily lives and well-being of interpreters. Youpret mediates over 1,000 interpreting assignments daily for, among others, healthcare and social services, immigration and employment services, companies, and private individuals. The service is now also available in Iceland and Estonia.
The Youpret application that has been developed is an intelligent interpreting service that combines all forms of interpreting into one easily accessible entity. Through Youpret, you can get a professional interpreter for over 120 different languages either immediately or by appointment, for remote or on-site interpreting – around the clock, 24/7.
