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Anora hires chief growth officer
Koskenkorva Vodka producer Anora Group has appointed Mikkel Pilemand as its chief growth officer (CGO).
Pilemand will join the Nordic drinks group on 1 May 2023.
“I am honoured and excited to join Anora, a company with such an impressive heritage and strong brands,” he said.
“I look forward to supporting the executive management team, the board of directors and the teams across Anora in the company’s growth initiatives, and expanding the business with a strong focus on customer and consumer needs. I am also looking forward to meeting the professionals of Anora across all the countries.”
Anora previously named Lars Egedal as its CGO in November, who stepped into the role on 1 January 2023.
However, according to his LinkedIn page, Egedal is looking for ‘new opportunities’ as chief financial officer or CEO.
Pilemand will join Anora from his position as chief commercial officer at Denmark’s biggest online supermarket, nemlig.com.
Anora said Pilemand has ‘solid’ international experience in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies including Procter & Gamble, Reckitt Benckiser and Carlsberg.
“We have a strong ambition to grow both in the Nordics as well as internationally,” said Pekka Tennilä, Anora’s CEO.
“The CGO ensures that profitable growth remains at the forefront of our company strategy. Part of the CGO’s role is also to help reshape the company in order to stay ahead of competition.
“I am excited to welcome Mikkel to Anora’s executive management team. Mikkel is a truly international professional with strong sales, marketing, and digital experience from leading FMCG companies.”
In addition to Tennilä and Pilemand, the executive management team will include Janne Halttunen, senior vice-president, wine; Kirsi Lehtola, chief HR officer; Kirsi Puntila, senior-vice president, spirits; Sigmund Toth, chief financial officer; and Hannu Tuominen, senior-vice president, industrial.
The board appointments are effective from 1 May.
Anora saw net sales rise by mid-single digits to reach €702.7 million (US$746.1m) in 2022, however it failed to meet the firm’s expectations.