Espresso House announced a leadership transition: John Nylén will retire as Group Chief Executive Officer after nearly seven years as Group CEO and a total of 18 years at the company. Anssi Thureson, Chief Operations Officer, has been appointed as the company’s next Group Chief Executive, effective immediately. Tomas Ekroth will also step down as Chief Financial Officer. He will be succeeded as CFO by Anders Ljungdahl, most recently CFO of media agency GroupM Sweden. Both Nylén and Ekroth will remain with the company in an advisory role during a transition period. The Nordic coffee shop brand has around 500 cafes in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, and Germany.
“After an incredible 18-year journey, from serving my first coffee as a barista in Gothenburg to overseeing our expansion throughout the Nordics and into Germany as CEO, now is the right time to introduce the next generation of leadership at Espresso House,” said Nylén. “With the company growing and profitable after overcoming the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and having resumed our trajectory to and beyond 500 shops, I am pleased that this transition will set Espresso House on course for the next phase of its bright future. Anssi is an inclusive and collaborative leader with a deep commitment to Espresso House’s people, culture, and heritage and I am confident that he will continue our amazing momentum. To all of my colleagues at Espresso House, past and present, thank you for your great contribution to making this company what it is today.”
Thureson is an experienced food and beverage executive. He joined the company in 2015 as Chief Executive Officer of Espresso House Finland, where he successfully launched the company’s in-country business, opening 60 stores. In 2020, he was promoted to Group Chief Operations Officer, overseeing companywide operations strategy, including expansion, innovation, and the Group’s day-to-day response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thureson began his career at Lidl, where he built the company’s Finnish business. “Espresso House is a special company that has captured the Nordic spirit of community, quality and service,” said Thureson. “I am honored to be named Group CEO and thank John for all he has achieved and for the example he has set. I am excited to continue working with our incredible team, as we look to build upon our success in the Nordic region, by extending our unique offering and culture to new guests across Europe.”
Espresso House was founded in 1996 in Lund and has since grown to become a leading coffee shop chain in the Nordics with over 480 coffee shops, 6,000 baristas and around 130,000 guests daily. Since the fall of 2018 Espresso House is also established in Germany. Espresso House is part of JAB Holding Company.
Photo: Espresso House Facebook
