History
The story of Sampo began in 1909. This brief history of Sampo encapsulates all of the relevant milestones of Sampo Group - from the early years prior to Finland’s independence right through to the present day.
The Second World War once again derailed the everyday life of Sampo employees. The war years shaped insurance companies into important institutions that stabilised the national economy.
Holding on to the joy of life in wartime through dances and social gatherings.
1944
A recreational committee was founded at Sampo to organize celebrations and activities for employees.
The bombing of Turku started at the end of 1939 and made working conditions difficult at the company headquarters. At the turn of the year, office hours were switched around in order to minimize the risk of bombing. For a period of time, the working day started at 4 pm and ended at 10 pm. Meanwhile, during another period, the working day was split into two parts: From 9 am to 11 am, and again from 4 pm to 8 pm.
In February 1940, life at the headquarters took an unfortunate twist as the roof and facade of the building were damaged by the bombing. This resulted in the office functions being transferred to the in-house bomb shelter.
The work of insurance companies gained significance during wartime and the sector was seen to be an important part of stabilizing the national economy. Fire and accident insurances became the most sought-after Sampo products. As the volume of fire insurance policies grew, so too did the volume of accidents, which directly impacted on the company's profitability.
The company experienced financial shake-ups due to heavy losses from buildings that had been destroyed in Karelia. This is a region of Finland that was lost to Russia in the Winter War. In addition, the company's offices in Vyborg now remained behind the new border.
In spite of the troubles at the time, the Finnish economy began to recover and starting from 1948 witnessed an economic boom like never before. This growth also benefited Sampo and the company started to set up offices across other large towns in Finland. More employees were needed and towards the end of the decade the amount of Sampo employees had grown to over 200.