Management change at Virta

Co-founder and long-standing Virta CEO Jussi Palola is stepping aside at the turn of the year. The charging infrastructure veteran will remain with Virta as Chief Innovation Officer. Christian Girardeau will take over as CEO in January.

Virta is a full-service EV infrastructure service provider based in the Finnish capital, Helsinki. Over 450 different charging station models can be managed and controlled via the Virta platform. More than 1,000 customers operate a total of over 105,000 charging points in 35 countries via the Virta platform.

Since the company was founded in 2013, Jussi Palola has managed Virta’s business and built a company with over 230 employees and offices in Helsinki, Berlin, Stockholm, Paris, London, Singapore and Bucharest. However, the Finns see the EV charging industry heading towards consolidation – and want to actively counter this with “organic and inorganic strategies” The company adds: “To capitalise these opportunities with our partners, we are strengthening our leadership in 2025.”

Specifically, that means that Jussi Palola will step down as CEO and continue to oversee the development of the Virta EV Energy platform as Chief Innovation Officer. The new CEO will be Christian Girardeau, who, according to Virta, has “extensive experience in the EV charging, Telecom, Video, and Semiconductor sectors.” Girardeau has previously headed up EV departments at companies such as BP Pulse and Schneider Electric. Most recently, he was Vice President for Electric Vehicles at Schneider Electric, Chief Product Officer at BP Pulse and later Senior Advisor for strategic projects.

“With organic and inorganic strategies backed by strong investors, Virta is poised to lead the next stage in decarbonising the world by connected EVs,” says Girardeau. “Fortified with complementary strategic partnerships, we will deliver the best customer experience in the e-mobility market. There is no player in the market able to combine charging services and demand response like Virta.”

“We have invested 12 years in innovation, preparing for the big role EVs would play in the global renewable energy transition,” adds Palola. “Now with our partners, assets and scale, the momentum is ripe for mass commercialisation of EVs and charging businesses as an integral part of the sustainable global energy system.”

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