Maarit Toivanen (previously Toivanen-Koivisto;[1] born 27 December 1954) is a Finnish business executive and investor, notable for being only the second woman to receive Finland's highest civilian honorary title of vuorineuvos.
[3][4] She was raised in the upmarket Ullanlinna district of Helsinki, and was privately educated, graduating from the Mannerheimintien Yhteiskoulu secondary school in 1973.
[3] After her studies, Toivanen joined the family business, and over the years worked in various functions including sales, purchasing, product management, quality and finance.
[3][5] She represented the fourth generation of her family to run the business, and continued to do so until the sale of most of the group operations to Kesko in 2016 for a reported EUR 369 million.
[4] In addition to the family business, Toivanen has served in Board roles at several notable Finnish listed companies, including Neste, Itella and Rautaruukki, as well as in a number of cultural and civic organisations such as Sibelius Academy and Alvar Aalto Museum.