In this edition of The Global Titans, we feature Tomi Viiala — a visionary redefining the future of urban mobility by placing human experience, trust, and intelligence at the center of movement.

With a career shaped by elite athletic discipline and long-term strategic thinking, Viiala has consistently challenged conventional ideas of speed and efficiency. His work focuses not merely on how fast people move, but on how seamlessly mobility integrates into everyday life and how intuitively it responds to modern urban realities.

From transforming Stromer into the world’s leading premium S-Pedelec brand to founding Viiala AG, his journey reflects a rare ability to build categories, reshape perception, and create systems that feel reliable, emotional, and inevitable.

The Athlete’s Foundation

For nearly twenty-five years, Viiala lived the life of a professional athlete — an experience that fundamentally shaped his leadership philosophy. In elite sport, trust in equipment is absolute, and performance depends as much on emotional confidence as physical capability. These principles became the foundation of his approach to product design, technology, and organizational culture.

Movement, for Viiala, was never just mechanical. It was about flow, intuition, and assurance — qualities he would later embed into mobility systems designed for real-world cities.

Redefining a Category at Stromer

When Viiala joined Stromer in 2014, the company had strong engineering roots but lacked the clarity and structure required for global scale. At the same time, the S-Pedelec category was widely misunderstood — often seen as niche, overly technical, or controversial.

Viiala recognized that the opportunity extended far beyond brand growth. The challenge was to define an entirely new category.

Over the next eleven years, he played a pivotal role in transforming Stromer into the global number one premium S-Pedelec brand. His leadership helped establish operations in over twenty-five international markets, build a trusted European service infrastructure, and elevate product design, safety, and digital integration.

Under his influence, Stromer was no longer positioned as an alternative bicycle — but as a legitimate mobility solution capable of replacing daily car commutes.

Building Ecosystems, Not Just Products

Beyond commercial success, Viiala became a leading advocate for the S-Pedelec category itself. Through collaboration with cities, retailers, partners, and policymakers, he helped move fast e-bikes into mainstream discussions on sustainability, congestion reduction, and urban planning.

This experience strengthened his belief that lasting impact comes from shaping ecosystems and perception — not just products.

A Human-Centered Vision of Mobility

For Viiala, mobility is deeply personal. He understands the emotional power of movement that feels intuitive and dependable. In dense urban environments, he sees two-wheel mobility not as a compromise, but as a superior solution — often faster, more predictable, and less stressful than cars, while keeping people active and engaged.

He resists incremental thinking, believing meaningful progress requires challenging assumptions, restarting development cycles, and delaying launches when standards of trust, performance, and emotional resonance are not met.

Founder of Viiala AG

As Founder of Viiala AG, Viiala now applies his principles to an even broader vision. His approach follows a clear sequence: vision first, product second, execution last.

Drawing inspiration from Swiss watchmaking and aerospace, he integrates precision, reliability, and emotional value into every system. Digital intelligence is embedded from the outset — enhancing experience rather than complicating it.

His leadership style mirrors his athletic roots: clarity over control, trust over pressure. By fostering autonomy and psychological safety, he builds cultures where innovation emerges naturally.

Looking Forward

Viiala envisions a future where urban mobility becomes quieter, smarter, and purpose-built. Sustainability evolves from marketing language into measurable impact, and emotional experience becomes as important as technical capability.

His ambition is to create mobility systems people actively choose — solutions that improve how life feels and seem inevitable in hindsight.

Through discipline, imagination, and long-term conviction, Tomi Viiala continues to design a future of movement rooted in trust, confidence, and human experience.