Vuorineuvos ("mining counselor", literally

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

for "mountain counselor"; sv, bergsråd) is a

honorary title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

granted by the

President of Finland The president of the Republic of Finland ( fi, Suomen tasavallan presidentti; sv, Republiken Finlands president) is the head of state of Finland. Under the Constitution of Finland, executive power is vested in the Finnish Government and the p ...

to leading figures in industry and commerce. The title is honorary and has no responsibilities and no privileges. All Finnish titles are non-hereditary. The only title of equal rank is ''

valtioneuvos Valtioneuvos (Finnish for “counsellor of state”, sv, statsråd) is a Finnish title of honor awarded by the President of Finland to elder statesmen. It is one of two titles (the other being vuorineuvos) in the highest class of State of Finland ...

''.

Origin and history

The vuorineuvos title originated in late 18th-century

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

when mining played a major role in the economy, including in Swedish-held Finland. During that era five Finns were awarded the title. From 1809 to 1917 in the semi-autonomous, Russian-ruled

Grand Duchy of Finland The Grand Duchy of Finland ( fi, Suomen suuriruhtinaskunta; sv, Storfurstendömet Finland; russian: Великое княжество Финляндское, , all of which literally translate as Grand Principality of Finland) was the predecessor ...

a further 19 titles were awarded. The first recipient of the vuorineuvos title in the modern Republic of Finland was Baron Fridolf Hisinger, on 17 July 1918. Awarding of the title has evolved to include not only giants of the mining industry but distinguished leaders in other industries and commerce. By 2010, the title had been granted to 295 people. Honorees are usually

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

s or

chairmen of the board Chairmen of the Board is an American-Canadian, Detroit, Michigan-based soul music musical ensemble, group, who saw their greatest commercial success in the 1970s. Recording career General Johnson (musician), General Johnson (1941–2010) had a ...

of major corporations. As of 2008, the title had been held by only two women: Irja Ketonen (1980), the principal owner and CEO of

Turun Sanomat ''Turun Sanomat'' is the leading regional newspaper of the region of Southwest Finland. It is published in the region's capital, Turku and the third most widely read morning newspaper in Finland after '' Helsingin Sanomat'' and ''Aamulehti''. Hi ...

; and

Maarit Toivanen Maarit Toivanen (previously Toivanen-Koivisto; b. 27 December 1954, Helsinki) is a Finnish business executive and investor, notable for being only the second woman to receive Finland's highest civilian honorary title of '' Vuorineuvos''. Early ...

(2008), then the CEO and Chair of .

High taxation of the title

The persons proposing that the honorary vuorineuvos title be conferred on someone are required to pay to the Finnish government a

stamp duty Stamp duty is a tax that is levied on single property purchases or documents (including, historically, the majority of legal documents such as cheques, receipts, military commissions, marriage licences and land transactions). A physical revenu ...

. (48,400 euros in 2007). The kauppaneuvos title dating back to the same era, by comparison, is taxed at the rate of 33,300 euros.

Rejection of the title by notable would-be honorees

Antti Ahlström, the founder of Ahlstrom;

Jorma Ollila Jorma Jaakko Ollila CBE (born 15 August 1950) is a Finnish businessman who was chairman of Royal Dutch Shell from 1 June 2006 to May 2015, and at Nokia Corporation chairman from 1999 to 2012 and CEO from 1992 to 2006. He has been a director of ...

, the former CEO of

Nokia Nokia Corporation (natively Nokia Oyj, referred to as Nokia) is a Finnish multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications industry, telecommunications, technology company, information technology, and consumer electronics corporatio ...

; and

Pekka Herlin Pekka Aksel Herlin (15 July 1932 – 4 April 2003) was a Finnish businessman, the president of the elevator and escalator maker Kone from 1964. In 1954, Pekka Herlin joined Kone, and succeeded his father as president in 1964, and started plannin ...

KONE Kone Oyj (; officially stylized as KONE and trading as KONE Corporation) is an elevator engineering company employing over 60,000 personnel across 60 countries worldwide. It was founded in 1910 and is now headquartered in Espoo near Helsinki, F ...

have refused the title out of personal preference.

Translation advisory from the translation service of the Finnish prime minister's office

According to the translation service of the Finnish prime minister's office, there is no official or established English translation for the vuorineuvos title. If it cannot be left out, the prime minister's office advises it best be used untranslated as "the Finnish honorary title of vuorineuvos". In cases in which translators are not able to convince their customers that it is best left out or at least untranslated, the prime minister's office further directs, customers can usually be persuaded to accept the paraphrase "the highly respected industrialist X". Otherwise, a possible translation that does not ridicule the title holder would be "senior industrialist X", but this still conveys a very incorrect picture of Finnish society. "X, senior industrialist" would be a bit better.

List of notable persons with the title

Emil Aaltonen Emil Aaltonen ( Widell until 1890; b. 29 August 1869 — d. 16 December 1949) was a prominent Finnish industrialist and philanthropist, who went from humble beginnings to own and run the largest shoe manufacturing business of its time in the N ...

Edvin Bergroth Edvin Leonard Bergroth (26 December 1836 – 29 March 1917) was a Finnish engineer, businessman and vuorineuvos. Bergroth studied engineering in Hannover. After returning to Finland, he worked for the Finnish State Railways and a gasworks, unt ...

Casimir Ehrnrooth Göran Albert Casimir "Casse" Ehrnrooth, titled ''Vuorineuvos'' (April 6, 1931 – July 8, 2015), was a Finnish magnate and former chairman of the Nokia Corporation. His business career began in the forest industry, and later he was a director of ...

Georg Ehrnrooth Georg Johan Casimir Ehrnrooth (born 16 January 1966) is a Finnish investor, the major owner with his brothers of Finnish HEX exchange stock companies EQ Bank, YIT and Pöyry. Family Father Casimir Ehrnrooth (1931–2015) held possessions in ba ...

Göran Ehrnrooth Göran Ehrnrooth (1 April 1905 Helsinki – 9 January 1996 Helsinki) was a Finnish banker in Union Bank (Pohjoismaiden Yhdyspankki, later after several mergers Nordea. Göran Ehrnrooth worked for the Union Bank since 1933. He launched Mandatum. ...

Adolf Engström Carl Adolf Engström (17 February 1855 – 19 June 1924) was a Finnish engineer, businessman and vuorineuvos. Engström got familiar already at early age with large machinery and engineering workshop environment due to his stepfather's work as ...

Erik Gillberg Erik Paul Oskar Gillberg MSc ''(diplomi-insinööri)'' (9 October 1926 – 21 February 1999) was a Finnish engineer, businessman and vuorineuvos. After graduating from Helsinki University of Technology, Gillberg worked in machine import busines ...

Berndt Grönblom Berndt Gustaf Grönblom (20 December 1885 – 4 October 1970) was a Finnish industrialist and vuorineuvos.

* Juhani Heinonen *

Heikki H. Herlin Heikki Hugo Herlin (7 February 1901 — 21 August 1989) was a Finland, Finnish engineer, industrialist and vuorineuvos. Herlin gained experience by studying and working abroad, before he inherited his father's position as manager of the Elevator ...

* Stig H. Hästö *

Jaakko Ihamuotila Jaakko Ihamuotila (born 15 November 1939) is a retired Finnish business executive known for his senior roles in some of Finland's largest corporations, including as the CEO of Valmet and long-serving President and Chairman of Neste. He has bee ...

Albert Lindsay von Julin Albert Ludvig Lindsay von Julin (2 August 1871 – 8 May 1944) was a Finnish engineer, businessman and vuorineuvos. Julin was born in Pohja to an industrial family. After his studies he spent several years gaining work experience in Caucasus, af ...

* Johan Albert von Julin *

Kari Kairamo Kari Antero Oswald Kairamo, titled '' Vuorineuvos'' (31 December 1932, in Helsinki in Finland – 11 December 1988, in Espoo, Finland), was a Chairman and CEO of Nokia Corporation and a significant and popular person in the industry, who was als ...

* Irja Ketonen * Lauri Kivekäs *

Bertel Långhjelm Curt Bertel Casimir Långhjelm (4 June 1903 – 16 February 1987) was a Finnish engineer, businessman and vuorineuvos. Långhjelm was born in Helsinki. He graduated as MSc in Electrical Engineering in Helsinki University of Technology in 1926 ...

* Robert Lavonius *

William Lehtinen Uuno Wilhelm "William" Lehtinen (1895—1975) was a Finnish forester and business executive, most notable for his long career at the Finnish state-owned forestry and paper company Enso-Gutzeit (now part of Stora Enso), which he steered to become ...

* Tauno Matomäki *

Tor Nessling Tor Ragnar Nessling MSc ''(diplomi-insinööri)'' (6 September 1901 – 23 November 1971) was a leading Finnish industrialist, entrepreneur and engineer. For nearly four decades he was the general manager of the Finnish heavy vehicle producer ...

Uolevi Raade Tauno Uolevi Raade (5 July 1912 – 13 May 1998) was a Finnish industrialist and a long-time managing director of Neste (now ''Neste Oil''), the Finnish national oil refining company. Raade was born in Turku, and received university degrees ...

Martin Saarikangas Martin Saarikangas (born 24 January 1937) is a Finnish shipbuilder and vuorineuvos, best known as the co-founder of Masa-Yards (now Meyer Turku), after the bankruptcy of Wärtsilä Marine. From 2003 to 2007 he was a member of the Parliament of Fin ...

Wilhelm Schauman Berndt Wilhelm Schauman (8 November 1857 – 14 November 1911) was a Finnish industrialist, the most important in Jakobstad at the beginning of the 20th century. He was the older brother of Ossian Schauman, and a member of the Schauman noble fa ...

Allan Staffans Allan Walfrid Staffans (13 February 1880 – 19 October 1946) was a Finnish technician, vuorineuvos and Shipbuilding, shipbuilder. Staffans began his career at Kone- ja Siltarakennus, Maskin- och Brobyggnad (Maskin o. Bro) shipyard in Helsinki in ...

* Julius Stjernvall * Tor Stolpe * Karl Söderman * Uuno Takki *

* Yrjö Vesa *

Simo Vuorilehto Simo Vuorilehto, titled ''Vuorineuvos'' (born August 8, 1930 in Savonlinna, Finland), is a Finnish businessman and the former chairman and CEO of Nokia Corporation. He became the chairman and CEO in 1988 after the death of Kari Kairamo. In 1990 he ...

Wilhelm Wahlforss Emil Wilhelm Wahlforss (25 June 1891 – 20 June 1969) was a Finnish engineer, industrialist and vuorineuvos. Early life Wahlforss was born in Helsinki, the capital of Grand Duchy of Finland. His father Henrik Alfred Wahlforss was an apprecia ...

Juuso Walden Juuso Walfrid Walden (5 April 1907 – 19 November 1972) was a Finnish industrial leader and entrepreneur, long term CEO of Yhtyneet Paperitehtaat, the predecessor of United Paper Mills. Early life and upbringing Juuso Walden was born in St. P ...

Verner Weckman Johan Verner Weckman (26 July 1882 – 22 February 1968) was a wrestler, who is the first Finnish Olympic gold medalist. Wrestling He was inspired to take up wrestling at the age of 15. He joined the club Helsingfors Gymnastikklubben in 1902, ...

Björn Westerlund Björn Georg Wilhelm Westerlund, titled ''Vuorineuvos'' (27 January 1912 in Hanover, Germany – 11 March 2009 in Helsinki, Finland), was a Finnish businessman and a short-time minister in the government of Finland. He was the former and first Pr ...

References

{{Reflist Honorary titles Finnish culture