Heikki Hugo Herlin was a Finnish businessman and a key patriarch of the Herlin family, whose fortune is rooted in KONE Corporation (KONE), a global leader in elevators, escalators, and automatic doors. His career is multi-generational: the company was purchased by his father, Harald Herlin, in 1924.

Heikki H. Herlin was a creative and enthusiastic engineer who studied and worked in Finland, Germany, and the United States, including internships with Westinghouse and Otis (major competitors). He joined the family enterprise in 1928 as assistant technical manager. His structural role was to modernize and internationalize the Finnish company, recognizing the need to expand and diversify beyond the tiny domestic market.

Heikki H. Herlin became President of KONE in 1932 and served as Chairman of the Board from 1941 to 1987. His strategic leadership guided the company through the turbulent years of World War II and the subsequent War Reparations period, where KONE was forced to produce elevators and cranes for the Soviet Union. This unique requirement forced KONE to develop advanced technology for larger equipment and expand its production capacity.

Under his guidance, KONE achieved technological strength, expanding into cranes and hoists and establishing its first foreign subsidiary (AB Kone Hissar of Sweden in 1957). By the time he relinquished the presidency to his son, Pekka Herlin, in 1964, KONE had grown into one of the ten biggest companies in Finland. His commitment to technological perfectionism and long-term vision laid the foundation for KONE's eventual status as a global industrial giant.

Heikki H. Herlin's social impact is structural, stemming from KONE's role as a massive industrial employer and foundational provider of vertical transportation systems globally. His leadership helped modernize Finnish industry and established KONE as a global exporter.

The Herlin family's foundation continues to support various educational and community initiatives. His career is a testament to the profitability of disciplined, technology-driven industrial entrepreneurship.

Heikki H. Herlin maintained the formal, cosmopolitan style of a European industrialist. He was known for his perfectionism and formal practices, reflecting his technical background and his status as a key figure in Finnish industry.

His luxury was tied to the immense security and autonomy derived from his family's industrial empire. His life was dedicated to industrial scale, technological innovation, and the long-term management of KONE's essential infrastructure assets.