Former Oulu rector apologised to employee he sexually harassed

Former University of Oulu rector Arto Maaninen says he apologised to an employee he sexually harassed during a work trip. Yle reported the comments from an interview with Kainuun Sanomat, in which Maaninen spoke to the media for the first time since resigning.

Maaninen resigned in June while the university board was considering whether it still had confidence in him. During an informal evening event on a work trip, he made lewd remarks to the employee and suggested a sexual act.

He told Kainuun Sanomat that resigning was his own decision and that he felt deeply ashamed of his behaviour, describing the incident as a severe blow. He said he had apologised to the employee and that the apology was accepted.

According to Kainuun Sanomat, the two met in Oulu to discuss what happened and how they experienced the evening. A representative from the university’s human resources department also attended.

Maaninen began work on Wednesday as a senior specialist in research, development and innovation at Kajaani University of Applied Sciences, known as KAMK. The institution’s rector and chief executive, Matti Sarén, told Kainuun Sanomat that the incident was known during the recruitment process and that he believed Maaninen had learned from his mistakes.

Maaninen said he would stop drinking alcohol at work events to prevent anything similar from happening again.