Erika Niemelä has been appointed chief executive officer of Aikamedia and Päivä, two of Finland's leading Christian publishing houses, effective 1 July 2026. A Master of Economic Sciences, Niemelä previously served as Aikamedia's marketing and communications director and spent five years as communications and fundraising manager at Christian television network TV7. She steps into leadership at a time of significant transition in Christian media across the Nordic region.
Aikamedia and Päivä serve Finland's broad evangelical community, including the Suomen Vapaakirkko (Evangelical Free Church of Finland), which publishes its weekly newspaper Suomen Viikkolehti. Christian publishing in Finland faces the same headwinds as the wider industry — digital transition, shifting reader habits, and the need to engage younger audiences. Niemelä brings a vision for moving beyond traditional marketing toward a company-wide approach to audience engagement, including recruiting young talent skilled in social media and exploring how artificial intelligence can support routine publishing tasks.
In a profile interview with Suomen Viikkolehti, Niemelä spoke candidly about not feeling fully prepared for the demanding role but trusting in God's strength rather than her own qualifications. "Joy has a wonderful power," she said, describing a deeper resilience drawn from faith rather than favourable circumstances. Born in Hamamatsu, Japan in 1981 to Finnish missionary parents, she grew up in boarding schools before moving to Finland for secondary education. She praised the publishing houses' practice of beginning each workday with communal devotion and prayer, calling it a spiritual foundation she intends to preserve. Niemelä and her husband Ari-Pekka have three children and have produced over 250 episodes of the television programme "Uskosta totta" (Faith for Real) on TV7.
(Originally published in Finnish. Summary translated by CC / Connexion.)
Source: Suomen Vapaakirkko / Suomen Viikkolehti — svl.fi
