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.
During 2010’s Sampo strengthened its position as significant Nordic insurance group and one of the most valuable companies listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.
Shareholders at the Annual General Meeting in 2014.
49
Sampo reached its highest closing share price to date in April 2015 when the A share of the company was valued at over 49 euros.
The history of Sampo is in many ways the history of a nation. The company was reminded of this when it started searching for the missing owners of old paper share certificates at the end of 2016.
This episode involved shares that were never entered into the book-entry system. Sampo publicly searched for missing share certificates through a letter campaign which got many Finns rummaging through their attics and old boxes. The company received over 100,000 contacts from people around the country. The effort was directly linked to the 1980s when Sampo became a limited company and gained a record amount of shareholders at the time. The campaign resulted in more than 2 million shares being entered into the book-entry system. Following a decision made by the Annual General Meeting of 2017, Sampo plc forfeited 4,6 million non-registered shares still remaining in the joint-account in December 2017.
At the end of the decade, Sampo's business consisted of four parts: If P&C, the largest non-life insurance company in the Nordic region, the life insurer and financial management services company Mandatum Life and Topdanmark, Denmark's second largest insurance company. In addition, Sampo owned slightly below 20 per cent of Nordea Bank Abp, the biggest bank in the Nordic countries, which became an associated company of Sampo in 2010.
Already strong position in Finland, Sweden and Norway, Sampo also gained a foothold in Denmark. Topdanmark became an associate of the Sampo Group in 2011. In 2016 Sampo's ownership increased over 30 per cent of Topdanmark which led to a mandatory no-premium offer. Topdanmark became a subsidiary of the Sampo Group in 2017. At the end of the decade, Sampo Group owned 46.7 per cent of Topdanmark A/S.
Group CEO Kari Stadigh retired at the end of 2019 and Torbjörn Magnusson, the former CEO of If, started as the new Group CEO and President on 1 January 2020.
The recession of the 2010s had relatively little impact on Sampo's operations. Sampo maintained its position as the biggest P&C insurance group in the Nordic countries, and one of the most valuable companies listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. The Sampo of the 2010s proved to be a financially stable group with a long-term mindset and a readiness to continue to increase its shareholder value.