Velux Group appoints Lars Petersson as new CEO to succeed David Briggs who is retiring
The Velux Group appoints Lars Petersson as new CEO, replacing David Briggs. He has decided to retire. Lars Petersson is currently President and CEO of Hempel and will join Velux on 1 November 2022. Anders Götzsche, CFO, will act as interim CEO until then.
Lars Petersson comes from a position as President and CEO at Hempel, a global coatings company based in Denmark. Before Hempel, Lars Petersson held managerial positions at Inwido, a Swedish window and door manufacturer, and the French flooring manufacturer Tarkett. Since 2019, Lars Petersson has been a member of the Board of Directors at Dovista, which, like Velux, is owned by VKR Holding A/S.
“Lars Petersson brings extensive experience and a strong track record from global manufacturing companies in related industries. Under his leadership, Hempel has successfully launched an ambitious growth strategy with a clear focus on customers and an equally strong commitment to providing leadership in sustainability. I am confident that in Lars Petersson we have found the right person to lead the further development of VELUX», says Jørgen Jensen, CEO of the VELUX Group.
«I feel honored and happy that I have the opportunity to continue to lead the VELUX Group. Having worked in the building materials industry for two decades, I have always admired Velux for its strong brand and quality. The company has shaped an entire industry while maintaining a strong sense of social responsibility. I am very much looking forward to becoming part of VELUX and helping to achieve the ambitions outlined in the company’s recently launched strategy to grow the company while raising the bar of running a sustainable business,” says Lars Petersson. The future CEO is 53 years old and Swedish. He lives near Copenhagen with his wife Annica, with whom he has two adult children.
David Briggs says goodbye to Velux and retires
After five years at the helm of the Velux Group, David Briggs will step down as CEO in September. «David can look back on almost 30 years of successful career at Velux. Under his five-year leadership as CEO, the Velux success story has continued and accelerated. I regret that he is leaving us, but I respect his desire to spend more time with his family,” says VELUX Chairman Jørgen Jensen. “Together with the Board and a strong management team, David has developed an exciting strategy aimed at achieving significant growth by 2030 and becoming a true sustainability leader in the construction sector. We stick to the principles of this strategy», continues Jørgen Jensen.
“It has been the greatest honor and privilege of my life to lead Velux and to represent this great company and all my excellent colleagues. Since 2018, we’ve achieved results we can all be proud of – results far beyond what many thought possible. And that is thanks to the commitment of my colleagues, but also to our partners, our suppliers and of course our customers,” says CEO David Briggs. “I firmly believe that the best is yet to come for Velux as set out in the corporate strategy that we launched in 2021 and which is already showing strong results. It’s hard to let go of something I love and believe in so much. But I feel the time is right for me and my family. With a strong Board of Directors backed by Velux’s incredibly supportive, long-term shareholders, I have no doubt that Velux will continue to grow and be probably the best building materials company in the world for many years to come.”