Farewell to SYNLAB

Yesterday was my final day at SYNLAB.?

When I started in the company as the managing director of the Finnish country organization in 2016, our turnover was less than 8 million Euros. With brilliant core team and dedication towards customer centric lab services, SYNLAB became the market leader in the private medical lab services within three years. This was achieved by constant double digit organic growth and strategic acquisitions.?

In 2018 when I transition to full time Chief Medical Officer of SYNLAB’s North Europe business unit (Nordics, Baltics, UK, Belgium), our turnover in Finland exceeded 50 million euros. The following years with the SYNLAB’s market entry to Sweden and integration of the North European business was certainly the busiest time of my career. Or at least until the COVID pandemic.?

With the early warning signs of a new virus arriving from Wuhan our team quickly was one of the first labs in the Northern Europe to setup a PCR method for specific detection of SARS-CoV-2. The scale of PCR capacity that was needed for population level screening was unprecedented and quickly escalated into tug-of-war between the laboratories, manufacturers, countries and regions each trying to secure their own supply of reagents, plastics, instruments and other elements necessary for producing PCR tests at massive scales. We succeeded in setting up innovative automated system for producing SARS-CoV-2 PCR analysis, first demonstrated in our Tallinn laboratory in Estonia and thereafter in Helsinki/Finland, Heppignies/Belgium and Stockholm/Sweden. These efforts have played a key role in?fighting the COVID pandemic across several countries.?

Now it is time for something new. And also reflect back and to thank all the key people that have made my journey in SYNLAB not only possible, but a memorable one.?

Rainar Aamisepp thank you for the opportunity, Mathieu Floreani thank you for your vision and attention to detail, Santiago Valor thank you for advocating medical excellence throughout the company, Robert Steinwander thank you for your precise and efficient execution of?group wide programs.?From the international?colleagues, SYNLAB CMO Board and Synlab Nordics, special thanks to David James, Sandra Stoica, Laura Brum, Alexander Hagen, Michael Morris, Tuula Kuukasj?rvi, Tiina M?kel?, Johanna Westerlund, Tommi Lousti, Sirpa Koskinen, Kaspar Ratnik and Kaido Beljaev.

Best wishes and continued success for SYNLAB.