Remembering Senior Vice President Tuomas Lokki (1969–2021)

Planmeca Oy’s Senior Vice President and widely respected long-time employee, Tuomas Lokki, passed away peacefully at home on 30 December 2021. Though he battled with his illness for nearly two years, he never made a point of his situation. Equipped with boundless energy and optimism, he was a bright and shining personality who wanted to focus on life at its fullest. That included spending time with his wife and three children as well as pursuing his passion for sports, such as running, skiing and mountain biking – but also continuing his valuable work at Planmeca.

The mark Tuomas left on both the company and his co-workers throughout his decades-long career cannot be overstated. Coming to Planmeca as a summer recruit in 1990, he was immediately tasked with organising the company’s move from the nearby Mekaanikonkatu street to the company’s current, larger premises on Asentajankatu street in Helsinki. Though the company was then in many ways still in its formative years, the job was nothing short of demanding for a twenty-something engineering student – yet Tuomas pulled it off with confidence and an irresistible can-do attitude.

In 1993, he then set out to do his MSc dissertation on power electronics for Planmeca’s product development, after which he was offered a permanent position as an electronics designer. It is fair to say that he was a bit of a tech geek who always read up on his field. Any clever technology excited him, from the greatest feat of engineering to the smallest gadget. A true engineer to his core, he was always curious about new technology. This same curiosity he carried over to Planmeca as the company forged its way to the top of the health tech industry. Over the years, he was a part of many of Planmeca’s most innovative product development projects. 

Moving through the ranks in the ‘90s and ‘00s, his sunny, approachable personality made him to many not only a colleague and supervisor, but a real friend, confidant, cycling buddy and running companion. He was a man of great integrity, who always sought for clear conversation and an open exchange of ideas. The fact that he knew someone from virtually every corner of the company says something about him as well.

The kindness, resolve and honesty Tuomas displayed in his everyday life was also mirrored in his leadership. In the mid-2000s, he was made Vice President of Marketing and Sales until being appointed Senior Vice President in 2014. Throughout this time, he demonstrated a rare combination of natural strategic ability, analytical competence, collaboration skills and compassion. An exceptionally skilled and likeable negotiator, he played an important role in building Planmeca Group’s worldwide network of partners, distributors, associates – even friends. Despite a calendar stacked with commitments, he truly enjoyed being on the go and travelled tirelessly from one time zone to another to meet both new and familiar faces. 

As his responsibilities increased, so did his commitment to them. He brought his vast experience to many management roles and positions of trust in several Planmeca Group companies as well as industry and volunteer organisations, and always made sure he had time for them all. As a result, he was a well-known and highly respected figure in both the dental manufacturing industry and Finnish commerce. 

At Planmeca, he was involved in some of the most significant agreements and projects as well as the global expansion of the entire Group. Up until the end, he was instrumental in finalising the single largest company acquisition in Planmeca’s history and thus part of shaping the company’s direction for the future. In more than 30 years, his enthusiasm for the work – or the technology – never once faded.

It goes without saying, then, that Tuomas’s passing has left a big void in our community. At the same time, he would not have wanted us to remember him with heavy hearts, but rather to celebrate his life, accomplishments, endless positivity and indomitable character. For him, the toughest problem was an exciting challenge and any critique an opportunity for growth and renewed cooperation. Indeed, Tuomas was a powerhouse whose legacy will continue to set the bar high for the rest of us.