Russian retail giant Lenta has named Rud Pedersen its new chief financial officer, effective 31 March 2019.
Pedersen is presently the CFO of Carlsberg Eastern Europe, and is responsible for operations in five FSU markets.
Lenta’s CEO, Jan Dunning, said, “We have come to know Rud well over the course of the recruitment process and I am convinced he will do an outstanding job in the CFO role.”
'Major Opportunities'
Pedersen said that he is "thrilled" about the opportunity, adding, “Over the course of many meetings with the Lenta board of directors and senior managers, I have become convinced that the company has a great team and major opportunities to create value ahead of us”.
In a career spanning 25 years, Pedersen has held several senior management positions in a diverse range of businesses including FMCG, fashion and apparel retail, and pharmaceuticals.
He started his career with Deloitte after graduating from the Aarhus School of Business, in Denmark, in international business administration and commercial law.
“In addition to his strong professional experience and track record, Rud has a great attitude and will be an excellent cultural fit,” Dunning added.
Smooth Transition
Current CFO, Jago Lemmens, has stepped down from the position to join his family in another country.
Lemmens will continue as a full-time consultant to the company to support Pedersen in the transition period.
He will then switch to a part-time consulting role, focused on specific business improvement projects.
Lenta’s Chairman, John Oliver, commented, “This replacement has been carefully planned over a long period to ensure a smooth transition. [Lemmens] has played a key role in Lenta’s growth, IPO and investor relations in addition to financial matters.
"We are pleased that he will continue working with Lenta as a consultant after the transition.”
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
