Lauri Oinaala

Spear’s Review

‘Successful succession requires knowledge and passion, as well as advanced governance and an open-minded approach to innovation and change,’ says Helsinki-based Lauri Oinaala. An adviser to high-growth family enterprises in Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa, he also heads up EY’s global platform for the next generation of C-suite executives and board members.

Oinaala is well versed in family dynamics and helps family businesses find their purpose. He said his clients often have ‘a unique perspective on the role the family should play and the impact their businesses should aspire to make on society, and they are equally aware of the long legacy they want to uphold’.

The well-connected adviser worked within a family office and its entities in the Nordics and the US for more than 10 years, advising its leaders on its growth agenda, before joining EY in 2012. He has an MSc in economics and business administration from the Helsinki School of Economics.

Adviser Profile

Lauri Oinaala is EY Family Enterprise Leader for EMEIA (Europe, Middle East, India, Africa) and an experienced professional in family office and family business consulting. In his dual capacity at EY, Lauri is also Global EY NextGen Leader. Through this role, he manages an international platform that serves the next-generation C-suite and board members in family enterprises with a membership of over 900 leaders from 81 countries. 

Lauri engages daily with family-owned entities, such as family offices and their individual owners, on a variety of issues related to ownership. He is specialized in strategy (family, corporate, wealth) and succession (leadership and ownership transitions) advisory. 

He is actively engaged in international projects related to extending Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles within family enterprises and has moderated discussions around sustainability at various international platforms, including COP28 in Dubai and New York Climate Week.

As executive sponsor, Lauri hosts the annual EY EMEIA Family Office Summit, an international forum that addresses emerging topics family offices face in an increasingly complex global environment. 

Lauri has professional experience in a variety of advisory positions. Prior to joining EY in 2012, he spent ten years within a Nordic Family Office and its operational entities in Northern Europe and the United States, advising the leadership on its growth agenda and leading projects related to the international expansion of the portfolio companies in Asia-Pacific and USA as well as new strategy implementation. 

Prior positions at EY include Nordic family business leader roles and country leader in Finland for Private Client Services, a specialised tax division advising UHNWIs, non-domiciled individuals, family offices and family businesses in domestic and cross-border frameworks.