Auramarine strengthens business development and lifecycle services leadership with two senior appointments
Aki Sand, Vice President of Sales, BL Lifecycle Services, EMEA
Turku, Finland:26.8.2026 – Auramarine, a leading fuel supply systems expert, has appointed Lauri Helkkula as Business Development & Key Account Director, and Aki Sand as Vice President of Sales, Business Line (BL) Lifecycle Services, EMEA. Both appointments took effect on 10 August 2026, and will support Auramarine’s growth strategy by reinforcing the company’s ability to identify new business opportunities and focus on providing customers with tailored fuel supply system solutions to support their fuel strategies.
The appointments come as demand for lifecycle support and long-term customer service contracts continues to grow across EMEA and the Americas. A larger, more specialised sales team is increasingly seen as central to delivering the kind of responsive, relationship-led customer experience that shipowners and engine makers now expect from their fuel systems partners, as well as ensuring that systems and technologies constantly perform to their full potential.
Auramarine established a new position, Business Development & Key Account Director, and appointed Lauri Helkkula to the role. Mr. Helkkula has over 25 years of experience across a range of roles within Auramarine, giving him a deep knowledge of the industry, as well as a complete understanding of the company’s business, customers and operating environment.
Lauri Helkkula, Business Development & Key Account Director
In his new role, Mr. Helkkula will lead strategic business development initiatives to identify new growth opportunities and support the execution of Auramarine’s strategy. He will also serve as Key Account Director for BL Projects, responsible for selected customer accounts in Germany and engine makers in the EMEA region. Germany remains an important market for Auramarine, and strengthening customer relationships and market presence there is a key priority for the company’s competitiveness.
Mr. Helkkula will report to CEO John Bergman in his Business Development & Key Account Director role, and to Tuomas Häkkinen, Vice President of Sales, BL Projects EMEA, for his Key Account Director responsibilities.
As Vice President of Sales, BL Lifecycle Services, EMEA, Aki Sand has extensive experience in leading lifecycle services, spare parts and industrial service businesses. He joins Auramarine from a similar business leadership position at MacGregor, a specialist in advanced cargo and load-handling solutions. In his role, Mr. Sand will lead and develop BL Lifecycle Services sales and business operations across the EMEA and Americas, region and will also report to Mr. Bergman.
”These organisational changes support our commercial strategy and growth ambitions. They strengthen our ability to develop new business opportunities and strategic customer relationships, while accelerating the expansion of our lifecycle services business, one of our key focus areas for the coming years. We warmly welcome Aki to Auramarine and wish both Aki and Lauri success in their new roles,” says John Bergman, CEO of Auramarine.
About Auramarine:
Auramarine is a Finnish technology company and trusted fuel supply and auxiliary systems expert. Auramarine works globally, combining deep engineering expertise with a strong commitment to quality, safety, and lifecycle support.
Known for its professionalism and reliability, Auramarine provides proven customer value through innovative, high-performance solutions that ensure operational efficiency and long-term performance.
Headquartered in Turku, Finland, Auramarine has offices in Finland and China, additional service hubs in Singapore and USA and representatives in more than 25 countries.
Issued by BLUE on behalf of Auramarine:
For media enquiries or interviews, please contact:
Rohini Lakhani, BLUE Communications,
rohini@blue-comms.com