11.04.2025Sten Pärnits Appointed New CEO of Mainor Ülemiste

Long-time Ülemiste City developer Sten Pärnits has been appointed by the supervisory board of AS Mainor Ülemiste to chair the company’s Management Board from 1 May 2025. Pärnits comes from a broad-ranging educational background and has extensive experience in the strategic management of Ülemiste City.

Guido Pärnits, the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of AS Mainor Ülemiste and AS Mainor, says the incoming chairman’s greatest strength undoubtedly lies in his ability to develop a diversified 24/7 campus and lead innovation, service and community development. “What Sten has achieved so far in integrating the sales and customer experience teams of Technopolis Ülemiste and Mainor Ülemiste, in introducing digital systems and in developing the community fund has been a textbook example of how to combine vision with practical implementation,” he remarked.

“The new team at Estonia’s largest real estate company really gets the big picture, so inspiring them to work towards a common goal requires a clear vision, a unified message and strong communication skills both inside and outside the company. Those are qualities that set Sten apart, and that make him the perfect choice for a position of such responsibility.”

Sten Pärnits himself says that he will have his hands full from the moment he takes up the post. “Not only is work starting on our third health centre and on Viktor Masing House, but we are initiating residential projects and developing Europe Park, the high-rise that comes with it and subsequent big sites,” he explained. “Bolstering the team so that they are capable of realising the vision of Ülemiste City, developing data- and technology-driven service delivery and cultivating the link between innovation and everyday life in Ülemiste City will be a priority, too.”

Sten Pärnits joined Ülemiste City in 2008 as the secretary to Ülo Pärnits. He has served on the supervisory boards of AS Mainor Ülemiste (2017-2023) and AS Mainor (2013-present), has played leading roles on a number of large-scale projects – including the development of all the health centres in Ülemiste City – and has been responsible for sales and customer management since 2023.

Sten graduated from Kadriorg German Gymnasium with a gold medal before obtaining a Master’s degree in medicine at the University of Tartu. He is currently in his final year of studying business finance at TalTech.

28.03.2025A new health centre with a modern nursing home sets Ülemiste City on the path to becoming the largest health cluster in the Baltic States

With a third health centre to be completed in the first half of 2027, Ülemiste City is set to become the largest private health cluster anywhere in the Baltic States. The anchor tenant in the new building will be the state-of-the-art Pihlakodu nursing home.

Sten Pärnits, a member of the management board of Mainor Ülemiste, says that the expansion of the health cluster is the clear focus of its developers and a natural progression which aims to provide people with high-quality health services and to help enhance their quality of life.

“The cluster has already become one of the most important health service providers in the area, bringing together a broad range of prevention and treatment services and promoting innovation in healthcare,” he said. “Building the third health centre is the next big step towards establishing a modern, fully integrated health environment here. Widespread interest among service providers and consumers and the hugely successful projects for the two health centres that preceded it were key factors in its construction.”

Pihlakodu, one of Estonia’s leading providers of nursing home services, will be the anchor tenant in Health Centre 3, opening a state-of-the-art facility in the building. In Estonian terms it will be a unique nursing home based on the Scandinavian model, in which residents are not separated from but rather integrated into the community.

Merike Merirand, a member of the management board of Pihlakodu, says the new location represents an opportunity to build a bridge between generations and to help the residents be part of an active, caring and social community.

“All of this will help to mitigate one of the main problems that nursing homes face, which is the loneliness that many older people feel,” she explained. “Ülemiste City has a fantastic community programme that’s sure to provide plenty of ways for our residents to socialise and enjoy their free time. A large proportion of older people today come into care from apartments in towns and cities, which is why so many of them appreciate the opportunity to continue living in an urban environment.”

The nursing home will offer general care services, but other health, well-being and treatment services will be able to be conveniently combined under one roof. This will improve access to health care, which is often an issue in nursing homes, but nevertheless vital.

The construction of Pihlakodu in Ülemiste City will also create opportunities for cooperation with medical firms, innovation companies and educational institutions in the area – for example, in the form of internships, volunteering and novel solutions to enhance and further modernise the quality of care services.

“We’ve seen that by integrating cutting-edge medical technology and smart solutions, we’re able to offer an even more modern service, improve the quality of life of our residents, make their everyday lives easier and provide medical care more promptly whenever it’s needed,” Merirand added.

In addition to Pihlakodu, the complex will house a wide range of health service providers such as GPs, a fertility treatment clinic, an eye clinic, a physiotherapy centre and a dentist.

With each new stage of development, Ülemiste City will continue to expand its green spaces so as to provide a pleasant and healthy environment for clients and workers alike. This will include a private park for Pihlakodu residents and visitors, which will be constructed alongside the health centre.

The complex will also boast first-rate accessibility and parking facilities, including dedicated spaces for health centre clients.

A total of 18 million euros is being invested in the new health centre. In architectural terms, the new 7700 m² building follows the concept of Health Centre 2 and was designed by the same firm, Apex Arhitektuuribüroo. The call for tenders for the construction of the building will be launched in April, with a mid-July deadline.

A holistic health cluster

Ülemiste City’s health cluster has expanded in recent years to meet the ever-growing demand for health services. Last autumn saw the opening of the seven-storey Von Baer Health Centre, which offers a world-class diagnostic centre and a wide range of health services (from rehabilitation to beauty treatments) provided by leading clinical specialists. The University of Tartu Hospital is the biggest tenant in the health centre, bringing its clinical services closer to people.

This was preceded in 2020 by the opening of Health Centre 1, which is home to providers of primary family medicine, occupational health and physiotherapy services. Visitors to the health cluster will also find the surgical clinic Aurora, which has three multifunctional operating theatres, and the start-up accelerator Health Founders.