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Mediconsult’s New CEO Johan Sandell Steers the Company Toward Growth and an International Outlook

In October 2025, Johan Sandell stepped in as Mediconsult’s new CEO. He is the first CEO outside the Salaspuro family in 50 years. After an 18-year tenure as CEO, Tommi Salaspuro transitioned to the company’s Board of Directors, where he now focuses on leading Mediconsult’s international expansion.


Johan is no stranger to stepping into the role after a long-serving CEO. In his previous position, he became CEO after the company’s founder, who had led the organization for nearly two decades.

“Finland has many family-owned companies that need an external perspective to make the next big development leap. These moments of transition come with a unique dynamic,” Johan says.
“There’s a lot of valuable history worth preserving, while at the same time there’s a strong ambition to grow into an international company. It’s easy to assume that the next step is simply adding something new — I thought so too early in my career. Over time, I’ve learned that you shouldn’t introduce anything new until you’re absolutely certain it’s necessary. And even then, consider what old structures can be removed before adding anything new.”

According to Johan, what makes family businesses special — and worth preserving — is the culture of caring and the strong sense of community. Behind it lies a genuine desire to look after people and do good for the team.

“It isn’t always easy, but it becomes part of you,” Johan says.

Johan credits his leadership philosophy not only to his time at Ambientia but also to his experience at the international corporation SAS Institute, which he describes as “a humane American company.”

Social Care Digitalisation Accelerates Mediconsult’s Growth Strategy

For 50 years, Mediconsult has remained at the forefront of Finland’s rapidly evolving and demanding health and social care IT sector. The pace of change is evident in the work done by Mediconsult and its customers. Recent reforms in social care data management in Finland and the EU have driven wellbeing services counties to harmonize and improve their practices and client processes. These changes have also required substantial renewal of client information systems to meet the new requirements and support daily work.

Within the broader health and social care ecosystem, social care represents the largest cost segment — nearly half of wellbeing services counties’ statutory responsibilities. In contrast, specialized medical care accounts for roughly one third, and primary healthcare for well below 20 percent.

Under Sandell’s leadership, Mediconsult aims to achieve profitable growth by focusing especially on solutions for social care, home care, and housing services, as well as high‑security patient information systems. Mediconsult already holds a strong position in the Finnish market and is now strengthening its international expansion.

AI Is Transforming Social Care — Ease of Use Is the Top Priority

Artificial intelligence is opening entirely new opportunities for developing social care information systems and related workflows. In October 2025, the wellbeing services county of Pirkanmaa announced that it was testing an AI tool designed to speed up the processing of child protection reports — a solution that will be integrated into the Saga Social Care information system. Mediconsult is introducing a range of AI features across its systems to support professionals’ work, such as automating documentation and improving access to relevant information.
According to Sandell, Mediconsult’s top priority is to ensure that its systems are as easy and intuitive to use as possible. At the same time, the company aims to support customer service pathways, improve organizational efficiency, and strengthen the impact of services.

“Saga is built by professionals for professionals, and we want to continue involving healthvcare and social care experts in developing our systems. Together with our customers, we’ve established long‑term collaboration models that enable users to influence the direction of development — from generating new ideas to testing solutions and giving direct feedback to our software developers,” Sandell explains.

Sustainable Solutions Build Trust in the Future

In times of change, the role of a leader is to provide stability, look further ahead than others, and offer direction.

“Everything starts with clear goals. A leader’s most important task is to create an environment where those goals can be achieved. For us, that means developing sustainable solutions that support the clients over the long term. I feel privileged to be leading this transformation,” Johan says.

Five years from now, Johan sees Mediconsult as a strong health and social care player that — even as it grows and internationalizes — maintains the best aspects of its Finnish family‑business heritage.

“We have the opportunity to remain a frontrunner in the digitalisation of health and social care. That requires trust and continuous learning. In practice, this means investing in AI and information security, piloting new solutions with wellbeing services counties in Finland, and working closely with our customers.”
 

 

 

In October 2025, Johan Sandell stepped in as Mediconsult’s new CEO. He is the first CEO outside the Salaspuro family in 50 years. After an 18-year tenure as CEO, Tommi Salaspuro transitioned to the company’s Board of Directors, where he now focuses on leading Mediconsult’s international expansion.


Johan is no stranger to stepping into the role after a long-serving CEO. In his previous position, he became CEO after the company’s founder, who had led the organization for nearly two decades.

“Finland has many family-owned companies that need an external perspective to make the next big development leap. These moments of transition come with a unique dynamic,” Johan says.
“There’s a lot of valuable history worth preserving, while at the same time there’s a strong ambition to grow into an international company. It’s easy to assume that the next step is simply adding something new — I thought so too early in my career. Over time, I’ve learned that you shouldn’t introduce anything new until you’re absolutely certain it’s necessary. And even then, consider what old structures can be removed before adding anything new.”

According to Johan, what makes family businesses special — and worth preserving — is the culture of caring and the strong sense of community. Behind it lies a genuine desire to look after people and do good for the team.

“It isn’t always easy, but it becomes part of you,” Johan says.

Johan credits his leadership philosophy not only to his time at Ambientia but also to his experience at the international corporation SAS Institute, which he describes as “a humane American company.”

Social Care Digitalisation Accelerates Mediconsult’s Growth Strategy

For 50 years, Mediconsult has remained at the forefront of Finland’s rapidly evolving and demanding health and social care IT sector. The pace of change is evident in the work done by Mediconsult and its customers. Recent reforms in social care data management in Finland and the EU have driven wellbeing services counties to harmonize and improve their practices and client processes. These changes have also required substantial renewal of client information systems to meet the new requirements and support daily work.

Within the broader health and social care ecosystem, social care represents the largest cost segment — nearly half of wellbeing services counties’ statutory responsibilities. In contrast, specialized medical care accounts for roughly one third, and primary healthcare for well below 20 percent.

Under Sandell’s leadership, Mediconsult aims to achieve profitable growth by focusing especially on solutions for social care, home care, and housing services, as well as high‑security patient information systems. Mediconsult already holds a strong position in the Finnish market and is now strengthening its international expansion.

AI Is Transforming Social Care — Ease of Use Is the Top Priority

Artificial intelligence is opening entirely new opportunities for developing social care information systems and related workflows. In October 2025, the wellbeing services county of Pirkanmaa announced that it was testing an AI tool designed to speed up the processing of child protection reports — a solution that will be integrated into the Saga Social Care information system. Mediconsult is introducing a range of AI features across its systems to support professionals’ work, such as automating documentation and improving access to relevant information.
According to Sandell, Mediconsult’s top priority is to ensure that its systems are as easy and intuitive to use as possible. At the same time, the company aims to support customer service pathways, improve organizational efficiency, and strengthen the impact of services.

“Saga is built by professionals for professionals, and we want to continue involving healthvcare and social care experts in developing our systems. Together with our customers, we’ve established long‑term collaboration models that enable users to influence the direction of development — from generating new ideas to testing solutions and giving direct feedback to our software developers,” Sandell explains.

Sustainable Solutions Build Trust in the Future

In times of change, the role of a leader is to provide stability, look further ahead than others, and offer direction.

“Everything starts with clear goals. A leader’s most important task is to create an environment where those goals can be achieved. For us, that means developing sustainable solutions that support the clients over the long term. I feel privileged to be leading this transformation,” Johan says.

Five years from now, Johan sees Mediconsult as a strong health and social care player that — even as it grows and internationalizes — maintains the best aspects of its Finnish family‑business heritage.

“We have the opportunity to remain a frontrunner in the digitalisation of health and social care. That requires trust and continuous learning. In practice, this means investing in AI and information security, piloting new solutions with wellbeing services counties in Finland, and working closely with our customers.”
 

 

 
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