Pekka Tennilä is stepping down as CEO of Anora Group with immediate effect, with another former Carlsberg executive confirmed as his replacement.
The Finland-headquartered company, which operates in the Nordic and Baltic regions, confirmed late last week that Jacek Pastuszka has assumed the leadership role. Pastuszka, like Tennilä, previously worked for Carlsberg, rising to become head of Western Europe operations in 2019 before leaving the brewer two years ago.
In total, Pastuszka spent 12 years with Carlsberg, including a three-year stint from 2015 to 2018 as MD of the Baltika subsidiary in Russia. Tennilä left the brewing group in mid-2014 after 13 years to take on CEO responsibilities for Anora’s predecessor, Altia Group.
Despite the speed of his departure, Tennilä has left Anora with the company’s best wishes. “On behalf of the board, we want to thank Pekka for his valuable contribution in developing the company,” said chair Michael Holm Johansen. “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 [in 2021] to Anora of today, while almost doubling the group’s net sales.
“We wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”
Tennilä added: “These past years at Anora and its predecessor have been a great journey. I have thoroughly enjoyed this chapter and now is the right time for the next CEO to lead the company towards its 2030 targets.”
Last month, Anora divested its Larsen Cognac division, comprising the Larsen, Renault and Monopol brands, to International Beverage Holdings for just under US$60m.
Dips in developed, bounces in emerging – How is Cognac weathering 2023? – Category Intel
