Dairy giant Arla has named Patrik Hansson as the new managing director and group vice president of its German division, according to media reports.
Hansson will assume the role on 1 June 2021 and report to Arla Europe board member, Peter Giørtz-Carlsen.
Currently, he serves as the head of Arla Foods in Sweden.
An Experienced Professional
Hansson is an experienced professional with a thorough understanding of Arla's strengths and challenges.
He joined Arla Sweden in 2011, with responsibility for the cheese, butter, and fruit drinks business.
Prior to this, he served for around 20 years in marketing, sales, and finance roles in international fast-moving consumer goods companies.
In 2015, he was appointed as the head of Arla's Southeast Asia (SEA) business.
The following year, he returned to Arla Sweden as group vice president and general manager.
He succeeds Markus Mühleisen, who is leaving the company in May of this year to take up the role of the CEO of Agrana in Austria.
First-Half Performance
Last year, the company said that greater consumer adoption of its household dairy brands such as Lurpak and Puck 'more than offset' offset declines in its foodservice business in the first half of its financial year.
The business saw group revenue rise 2.8% to €5.4 billion in the first half of 2020, compared to €5.2 billion in the corresponding period last year, while its Europe business posted revenue growth of 0.9%.
