Sanna Väänänen

I am a senior associate in our employment law team in Helsinki.

I advise foreign and Finnish clients on matters related to employment law, human resources, and taxation. I draft employment and executive contracts and assist clients in a practical manner with day-to-day employment law matters throughout the entire employment lifecycle. I also support clients in employment disputes and corporate transactions. I prepare HR and ESG due diligence reports and advise on various employer obligations related to personnel measures and obligations. I also assist in drafting various responses and correspondence with authorities.

In addition to employment law advice, I also advise on tax-related matters such as payroll reporting obligations, remuneration issues, and cases related to social security and pensions. My areas of specialisation also include personal taxation and in particular, global employee mobility. I support clients in various aspects of international mobility (employment law, posted workers, work permits, taxation, payroll reporting, social security), ranging from individual planning cases to broader support for employers in developing policies and processes related to international employee mobility and remote work. I also advise on tax audit and appeal cases.

Before joining Bird & Bird, I worked as a tax and employment lawyer at a multinational consulting firm specialising in global mobility of employees. I also held internal HR management position. Prior to that, I worked for a very long time in the tax and legal department of a Big Four accounting firm, handling a wide range of tax and employment law client assignments while also serving as the leader of the employment law specialist team. At the beginning of my career, I worked in various positions in tax administration, advising on corporate taxation and employer obligations.

I have over 20 years' of experience in employment and tax advisory. From all the above positions, I have gained extensive practical experience and a broad perspective – all of which help me understand clients' case-specific support needs so that they receive clear, practical, and proactive support for their questions. In my work, I enjoy meeting different people, handling diverse assignments, and especially, building long-term client relationships where matters can be discussed openly at the earliest possible stage with a very low threshold.