COPENHAGEN, May 2 (Reuters) -

Finnish refiner Neste said on Thursday it has appointed Outokumpu CEO Heikki Malinen as its next chief executive.

Stainless steel maker Outokumpu in a separate statement said Malinen, was leaving the company and that the search for his successor would start immediately. (Reporting by Louise Breusch Rasmussen, editing by Terje Solsvik)