The board of directors of Scandi Standard on May 31 voted to terminate the employment of Leif Bergvall Hansen as managing director and chief executive officer of the company.
According to a press release on the Scandi Standard website, the board has already initiated the process to recruit his replacement.
While the company or its board did not reveal a reason behind the termination of its CEO, the decision came three days after the company reported that its Swedish subsidiary Kronfågel experienced “certain deviations in connection with the slaughter and processing of chicken, which has been acknowledged by Swedish media.” At the time, Scandi Standard said its management was working actively to fulfil the company's high demands on animal health and food safety standards.
“Both Kronfågel and Scandi Standard are taking this very seriously, and are implementing powerful measures to restore confidence for the process around how we treat our chicken,” Hansen said of that matter.
Hansen has been the CEO of Scandi Standard since 2012, succeeding Jan K. Henriksen in that role. Hansen had prior work experience in leadership roles with Bisca A/S, Findus A/S, Nestlé and ESS-FOOD. He has been credited with building special competencies within sales, marketing and brand building of food sector businesses, strategic transformation of businesses, leading initial public offerings and acquisitions, and managing international businesses.
Scandi Standard, headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, is a leading producer of chilled, frozen and ready-made chicken products in the Nordic region and Ireland, according to the WATTPoultry.com Top Companies Database. In Norway, the company also produces and sells eggs.
"I would like to thank Leif Bergvall Hansen for his important contribution to Scandi Standard over the last eight years. We have concluded that the time is right for a change in order to bring new energy and perspective into the further development of Scandi Standard. I am confident in the organization's ability to take the company to the next phase and to continue strengthening our market leading position in the Nordics and in Ireland. Leif leaves a company which is robust and with potential for continued growth and a solid basis for long-term profitability," said Johan Bygge, chairman of the Scandi Standard board.
