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Anora appoints new CEO
Nordic spirits brand Anora Group has announced a major change in leadership, naming Jacek Pastuszka as its new CEO.
Pastuszka will replace Pekka Tennilä in the role, a switch that Anora’s board of directors said will take place effective immediately.
Pastuszka most recently worked for Carlsberg Group, where he was executive vice president for Western Europe, while also serving as a member of Carlsberg Group’s executive committee and contributing to strategic turn-around initiatives.
“I am honoured and excited to join Anora and lead the company on the journey towards its strategic goals,” Pastuszka said.
“I look forward to working with the Anora team to further strengthen Anora’s position as a leading wine and spirits brand house in the Nordic region with a strong focus on sustainability.
“I would like to thank the board of directors of Anora for their trust and this opportunity.”
Of the appointment, Michael Holm Johansen, chairperson of Anora’s board of directors, commented: “Jacek Pastuszka is an experienced leader with an impressive track record of driving profitable growth in blue-chip multi-national companies in the global food and beverage industry.
“His experience from the Northern and Western European markets is an ideal match for us. He has a strong track record in business transformations, such as restructuring the Carlsberg business in Norway.
“The board is convinced that Jacek Pastuszka is the right person to lead Anora towards reaching its 2030 strategic goals and that he optimally complements the broad skill set of our management team.”
This year, Anora Group has made other structural changes to its leadership positions, adding Risto Gaggl to the executive team and Mikkel Pilemand as its chief growth officer (CGO).
Pekka Tennilä’s exit
Johansen thanked outgoing CEO Tennilä for his work: “Pekka Tennilä has held the position of CEO of Anora and its predecessor Altia since 2014. On behalf of the board, we want to thank Pekka for his valuable contribution in developing the company.
“Pekka has overseen a long journey with significant milestones of growing the company from a state-owned Altia Group through its IPO and its merger with Arcus to Anora of today, while almost doubling the group’s net sales. Under Pekka’s leadership, Anora has strengthened its position as the leading wine and spirits house in the Nordic monopoly markets as well as in the Danish market through the acquisition of Globus Wine.
“Pekka has together with his team also defined Anora’s growth strategy up to 2030. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”
For the first half of 2023, Anora has seen its net sales rise by 14.4%.
It also purchased 3.5 million kilograms of regeneratively farmed barley as it aims to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
Tennilä commented: “These past years at Anora and its predecessor have been a great journey. Most recently, we introduced our growth strategy last November.
“Anora has a great future ahead of it and, with its sustainability roadmap, the company will be among the global frontrunners in its industry. I sincerely thank all my Anora colleagues, the board of directors, customers and partners for their good co-operation and trust over the past years.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed this chapter and now is the right time for the next CEO to lead the company towards its 2030 targets,” he finished.