As a graduate from Helsinki University with a Master’s degree in social sciences, Eija Ailasmaa (1950) pursued journalism right at the start of her career.

Ailasmaa’s introduction to magazines came in 1985, when she became Editor-in-Chief of Kodin Kuvalehti. Kodin Kuvalehti is a family magazine with one of the highest circulations in its category. Ailasmaa steered the magazine through the latter part of the 1980s. In 1989 she took up the position of Vice President Publishing at Sanomaprint (later renamed in Helsinki Media).

Magazines continued to inspire Ailasmaa. Her growing experience led to her appointment as General Manager of Helsinki Media in 1998. She took over as CEO in 2000 and held that position until 2002, when she was appointed Acting President of Sanoma Magazines.

Ailasmaa played an important role as Executive Vice President during the foundation of Sanoma Magazines in 2001, when Helsinki Media and VNU’s magazine business were combined. In 2002 she took over as the Division’s Acting President, resigning as CEO from the Finnish subsidiary Sanoma Magazines Finland (formerly Helsinki Media). In 2003 Ailasmaa was appointed President and CEO of Sanoma Magazines.

Next to her roles at Sanoma Magazines and Sanoma Corporation (previously called the SanomaWSOY Group), Eija Ailasmaa is member of the Board of Directors of the Huhtamaki Group, a global leader in consumer packaging, and member of the Advisory Board of RSM, Rotterdam School of Management.