Kai Gyllström to succeed retiring Atria CEO Juha Gröhn

Juha Gröhn, longtime CEO of Finland-based meat and poultry company Atria, will retire on May 31, 2023. Kai Gyllström has been selected by the company’s board to become the new CEO upon Gröhn’s retirement.

Roy Graber Headshot
Kai Gyllström (Courtesy Atria)
Kai Gyllström (Courtesy Atria)

Juha Gröhn, longtime CEO of Finland-based meat and poultry company Atria, will retire on May 31, 2023. Kai Gyllström has been selected by the company’s board to become the new CEO upon Gröhn’s retirement.

"On behalf of the Atria board, I would like to thank Juha Gröhn for his successful work as CEO of Atria since 2011. Juha Gröhn has been with Atria since 1990 and has had a distinguished career with Atria in various positions. I appreciate the way Juha Gröhn has led Atria in making difficult decisions and taking the company forward in a mutually agreed direction. Juha's decision to retire at this point of the succession planning is a personal one and I understand it," said Seppo Paavola, Atria’s chairman of the board.
 
 "In appointing the new CEO, we paid attention to his expertise in the food industry and strong international experience having worked in Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Saudi Arabia. Kai has experience from working both with retail and foodservice and has worked several years in an organization owned by farmers´ cooperatives. Kai has a master’s degree in finance & marketing and broad multifunctional experience."

Gyllström will come to Atria from Arla Foods, his employer since 2009. Gyllström has been managing director oof its Swedish operations since June 2021. Before that, he was the managing director for the company's Finland operations for more than threee years.

Prior to his time with Arla, Gyllström worked for Carlsberg, Deloitte and Marimekko.

"I am happy to leave the position at a time when the company's operations and financial situation are stable given the operating environment. I am grateful for all the cooperation and commitment that has enabled us to succeed both domestically and internationally over the years. Atria has grown into a leading Northern European food company, and I have had the opportunity to work with Atria employees to drive this development forward", said Grohn.

During its most recent quarter, Atria achieved a 13% year-on-year increase in net sales. In another recent development, Atria decided to close its Sahalahti factory in Finland in favor of centralizing operations at its new Nurmo plant.

Earlier in 2022, Atria sold its plant in Malmö, Sweden, as well as its Russian fast-food business Sibylla Rus.

 

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