Carlsberg has appointed Jacob Aarup-Andersen as its CEO, replacing company veteran Cees ’t Hart.
Aarup-Andersen is to join the Danish brewer following three years as CEO of facilities management company ISS. He will take over from ’t Hart by the end of Q3 “at the latest”, Carlsberg said.
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A statement on ISS’s website said he would stay until his replacement has been found.
Aarup-Andersen said his departure from ISS has come “somewhat sooner than I had anticipated”, adding: “The offer to join Carlsberg as their CEO was a career opportunity that I could not pass up.”
Before joining ISS, he held senior leadership roles at Danske Bank and Danica Pension and worked in investment for firms including Goldman Sachs.
’t Hart announced his departure last week following eight years at the helm of Carlsberg.
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By GlobalDataHe is the third top-table exit at the group in the space of a year, with former chair Flemming Besenbacher retiring in March 2022, and ex-CFO Heine Dalsgaard departing in December.
In a note to clients last week, AllianceBernstein analyst Trevor Sterling said ’t Hart’s decision to retire “should not be a big surprise” – he turns 65 this year.
Henrik Poulsen, chair of Carlsberg’s supervisory board said: “As part of our ongoing succession planning, the board has been through a comprehensive assessment of CEO candidates from around the world, with Jacob Aarup-Andersen emerging as the best candidate.
“Jacob is an outstanding CEO with a strong track record in delivering shareholder value and organic and inorganic growth in addition to driving the ESG and digitisation agendas.
“Jacob brings a unique blend of excellent strategic skills, financial acumen and discipline, global operational experience and an engaging and purpose-led leadership style. We’re pleased that he’ll be leading the next stage of Carlsberg’s value-creating growth journey, and we’re looking forward to welcoming him at Carlsberg.”
Aarup-Andersen said he was “full of emotion” as the news was released today.
“I’m really looking forward to joining Carlsberg, a truly iconic company,” he said. “I’ve always admired the unique heritage and strong values of Carlsberg and look forward to building further on that great foundation. The group’s strong international presence as well as its brand portfolio and ambitious ESG agenda, combined with the long-term mindset and the values of giving back to society through the Carlsberg Foundation, are truly inspiring.
“I’m very impressed with the successful journey that Carlsberg has been on these past years. Cees and the leadership team have created a strong foundation, both financially and strategically, and I will continue the strong shareholder value focus. I’m looking forward to working with the team over the coming years to further accelerate the full growth and value creation of this unique company.”
