San Francisco Agency, one of the leading tech PR and comms agencies in the Nordics, has appointed Reetta Ilo as its new Chief Executive Officer, starting from May 1, 2025.
After serving as the Vice President for the past two and a half years, Ilo will now steer the company towards its vision to be the biggest tech PR agency in the Nordics, serving its clients in all different communications needs – from a variety of communications strategies to crisis comms, as well as day-to-day PR operations and supporting clients to become thought leaders in their industries.
“When we started, we were the first and only PR and comms agency in Finland that specialized in helping tech startups and their investors. As we’ve grown, so has our client base. Today, we serve multiple stock-listed companies, some of the biggest IT sector companies in the Nordics, and corporate venture capital companies that are part of a group of 10,000 employees globally. However, our heart still beats for the growing tech and innovation companies that are doing their best to make a positive impact on the world, the environment, and people,” says Ilo.
In addition to performing the CEO’s duties, Ilo will continue working with the agency’s clients to help them reach their target audiences globally with strategic communications and PR.
Despite the challenging market situation, San Francisco Agency has continued to expand significantly internationally and grow its team in the past three years. The agency’s employees represent seven different nationalities, ranging from the Nordics to the US. In 2024, its clients got 4254 earned media hits, and 100% of its clientele that answered its customer survey would highly recommend its services.
“Unlike other agencies, our strategy has always been to hire international talent, as our clients never want to stay in just one market but have ambitious growth goals, so we have to meet those expectations. We value diversity and expertise in different markets, and our clients appreciate the fact that we can offer them, for example, local help and know-how in the US or the Nordics – wherever their business needs PR to support their growth,” Ilo says.
“When marketing budgets are tight, we have been glad to see many ambitious companies have chosen PR as their main marketing tool, as it simultaneously builds credibility, helps in sales, establishes you as the thought leader, and supports your hiring efforts, just to name a few benefits,” she concludes.
The previous CEO and founder, Juhani Polkko, moves to the advisory board and continues to support the company’s growth as Chair of the Board.
“I have seen our agency develop and grow for the past years, and now it seemed like the right time to take a step away from the daily operations and concentrate on helping our agency from a strategic perspective. I have full confidence that the new leadership will take us to where we want to be,” says Polkko.
San Francisco Agency has won multiple awards in the past three years, including MarTech Awards Nordic PR Agency of the year, three years in a row the best B2B launch of the year in the Finnish Comms Awards, and the best PR consultant of the year award, as well as Bronze Lion in Cannes, and Grand One awards with two honorary remarks. The agency has also developed its own software tool, Valosan, which helps PR professionals pitch to international media, handle press release sendouts, report media hits, and monitor the media.
