Kemira Oyj () is a global chemicals company serving customers in water intensive industries. Kemira has two main segments, Pulp & Paper and Industry & Water. Kemira is headquartered in Helsinki, Finland. In 2019, Kemira had annual revenue of around EUR 2.7 billion and over 5,000 employees. Kemira shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd. History 1920–1999 Founded in Finland in 1920 as the state-owned “Sulfuric Acid and Superphosphate Plants Corporation”, the company focused on the industrial, mining and fertilizer sectors. In 1933 it became a joint-stock company. The company expanded strongly into various fields of chemistry through acquisitions and mergers. In 1961 the name was changed to Rikkihappo Oy. Kemira's fertilizer business began to internationalize in the late 1960s with fertilizer exports. Typpi Oy, which had been engaged in the nitrogen industry in Oulu since 1952, was merged into the company in 1971, in connection with which the company's name was changed to Kemira Oy. In 1972, Kemira bought the paint manufacturer Tikkurila. While Yrjö Pessi acted as a CEO from 1975 to 1990 the company started to go international. For example, the global fertilizer business began in the 1980s when Kemira acquired fertilizer plants in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Denmark. Exports increased and sales offices were also established abroad. During CEO Heimo Karinen (1991–1999), Kemira decided to focus on pulp and paper chemicals, industrial chemicals, paints and specialty fertilizers (Kemira Agro). [19] The Kemira Group's business structure was restructured and the business units were incorporated. Kemira Oyj was listed on the Helsinki stock exchange in November 1994. In 1994 the company was listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange. 2000–2009 During Tauno Pihlava's term as CEO (2000–2004), Kemira largely divested its titanium oxide business and instead acquired the water and paper chemistry business. Kemira's owners became active in 2002, when they set the goal of making Kemira the world's leading company in selected industries. During Lasse Kurkilahti's term as President and CEO (2004–2007), Kemira made more than 30 acquisitions and sold non-core components, such as properties where the head office or Oulu Research Center operated. Kemira acquired, among other things, the paper and pulp chemistry business. For example, in 2004 the fertilizer production Kemira Agro Oy was spun off into its own company, Kemira GrowHow. The Siilinjärvi mica factory was sold to Sweden. In 2017 Norwegian Yara bought GrowHow (now Yara Finland). The fine