CTS EVENTIM – New leadership at Finnish ticketing subsidiary Lippupiste

• Long-standing CEO Ari Palhamo is stepping down on 31 January 2024 and will take up a position on the Board of Directors at Lippupiste.
• Current COO Juhana Stenbäck will become CEO of the Finnish ticketing leader.

Helsinki/Hamburg 23 Jan. 2024 – Juhana Stenbäck is becoming the new CEO of Lippupiste, Finland’s leading ticketing provider. He will report to Alexander Ruoff, COO on the CTS EVENTIM Management Board.

Stenbäck’s predecessor, Ari Palhamo, will step down as CEO on 31 January 2024, in a changeover agreed on the most amicable terms. Palhamo will continue his involvement with Lippupiste as a member of its Board of Directors.

Ari Palhamo became CEO of Lippupiste in 2005. Under his leadership, the company grew to become the leader in Finland’s ticketing market. Palhamo also oversaw the 2008 acquisition of Lippupiste by CTS EVENTIM, a leading international provider of ticketing services and live entertainment. He then remained at the head of the company for another 16 highly successful years.

His successor, Juhana Stenbäck, has been part of the Lippupiste management as COO since 2020, meaning he will provide maximum continuity for promoters, venues and partners. An accomplished manager and financial expert with 14 years of experience in the ticketing business, Stenbäck will continue driving the company successfully forward. His previous positions included roles at L’Oreal Finland and Deloitte & Touche.

Lippupiste is Finland’s largest ticketing company. Promoters, venues and fans use its services across more than 30,000 events each year. The web platform lippu.fi is Finland’s most successful ticketing shop with over 20 million visits per year. Lippupiste is part of the CTS EVENTIM Group.

Alexander Ruoff, COO, CTS EVENTIM: “I’d like to thank Ari for his exceptional collaboration over the past 16 years and for our many shared successes. I’m delighted that he will be staying with us as a member of the Board of Directors. To Juhana, I say congratulations on the promotion. I’m certain that his experience and skills will allow him to successfully continue Ari’s work while also putting his own stamp on the company. I’m looking forward to continuing our collaboration and wish Juhana and his team all the very best.”

Ari Palhamo, CEO, Lippupiste: “We started as an independent company, Lippupiste, in 2005. That's when we separated from Elisa Finland. Today, we have Lippupiste employees working in four locations: Tampere, Helsinki, Turku and Lahti. Over the past 18 years, we have grown into a market leader in Finland, as a ticketing partner for cultural, sports and live entertainment events, as well as a partner for venues and arenas. This wouldn’t have been possible without the unwavering trust shown to us by event organizers and consumers. I’m extremely grateful for this trust. I can’t think of a better time to hand over the responsibility of Lippupiste to Juhana. He is motivated, energetic and very experienced in our industry. I have full confidence that the company will become even stronger from now on.”

Juhana Stenbäck, CEO-elect, Lippupiste: “I want to thank Ari, who has managed Lippupiste successfully for all these years. His leadership has played a significant role in shaping our company into what it is today. I’m grateful and excited for the opportunity to lead Lippupiste. Our outlook for the future is bright, and I look forward to working with our talented teams as we continue to develop and deliver innovative solutions to our promoter clients and customers.”

About CTS EVENTIM

CTS EVENTIM is a leading international provider of ticketing services and live entertainment. Over 300 million tickets per year are marketed using the Company’s systems – through physical box offices and mobile/online portals. These portals include the brands eventim.de, oeticket.com, ticketcorner.ch, ticketone.it and entradas.com. The CTS EVENTIM Group also owns a number of companies promoting concerts, tours, and festivals such as Rock am Ring, Rock im Park, Hurricane, Southside, and Lucca Summer. According to Pollstar’s global rankings for 2023, the EVENTIM Group is the second-biggest promoter in the world. In addition, CTS EVENTIM operates some of Europe’s most renowned venues, such as the LANXESS Arena in Cologne, the K.B. Hallen in Copenhagen, the Waldbühne in Berlin, and the EVENTIM Apollo in London. CTS Eventim AG & Co. KGaA (ISIN DE 0005470306) has been listed on the stock exchange since 2000 and is a member of the MDAX segment. In 2022, the Group generated revenue of EUR 1.9 billion across more than 20 countries.

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