Ole & Steen on hunt for new CEO 'with a different profile'

Danish bakery chain Ole & Steen is on the hunt for a new chief executive following the departure of Jason Cotta after four years in the role.

Cotta, a former managing director of Costa Coffee UK and Ireland, joined the Copenhagen-based group in 2019 ahead of a major expansion push in the UK and overseas.

Ole & Steen said Cotta and its board of directors had jointly agreed the company needed a chief executive "with a different profile" going forwards.

The brand trades from over 100 bakeries in Denmark and has opened 26 UK sites since 2016.

David Campbell, board chairman at Ole & Steen, said: "Ole & Steen has been through an intense growth journey over the past five years, where the company has doubled in size and successfully established itself firmly in both Denmark and internationally in London and New York.

"The board of directors and Jason Cotta have jointly agreed that a group chief executive with a different profile will be better suited to Ole & Steen's strategic needs in the future.

"Going forward, the strategic focus will be on improving operating results across markets and continuing the work to build a leading bakery chain that delivers Danish quality baked goods to customers in Denmark and internationally."

He added that Cotta had played a "key role" in the company's growth and the board had thanked him for his "significant contribution".

Jesper Mark Dixen, current group chief commercial officer at Ole & Steen, is serving as interim chief executive until a permanent replacement for Cotta is found.