Durejko, 54, had until now been board chair at telco Ericsson Eesti, and will take office on April 1 this year, one day after Sutter's expires, Eesti Energia's supervisory board says.

Durejko says that his main goals in his new role include implementing an ambitious strategy and leading Eesti Energia successfully through the current energy crisis and upcoming changes.

He said: "It is clear that major changes await the energy sector. To deal with these, it is vital to introduce new tech, increase the share of digitalization, build new production capacities and reduce carbon footprints. These all represent major challenges."

Eesti Energia's Supervisory Board Chair Anne Mere said that Durejko stood out from the pack during the competitive process to choose a new CEO due to his strong leadership qualities, management experience at a large concern and level of education in energy-related issues.

The supervisory board decided in September not to extend the contract of Hando Sutter, who had been in the post since December 2014.

Close to 30 applications had been received for the role by early October, enlarged to about 50 via a headhunting search, and of these, a shortlist was drawn up by mid-November.

Durejko's term runs for three years. He was board chair at Ericsson Eesti starting 2018, and held a variety of senior posts there since 1999. He is also a member of the Estonian Broadband Development Foundation (ELASA) and an advisory board member at the AI and Robotics (AIRE) Center.

Management board members Andri Avila, Raine Pajo, Margus Valsi and Agnes Roos' terms all end on March 31 also. 

Eesti Energia is a state-owned energy operator operating in the markets in the Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden and Poland, as well as in Estonia.

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