Kuala Lumpur, 26 April 2019 – Carlsberg Malaysia welcomed its new Managing Director Ted Akiskalos with much fanfare and conveyed farewell wishes to outgoing Managing Director Lars Lehmann who has been promoted to the Executive Committee (ExCom) of Carlsberg A/S (Carlsberg Group) as Executive Vice President of Eastern Europe and also as CEO of Baltika, Carlsberg Group’s company in Russia effective 1 May 2019.

Held at Brixton 23 at Jalan Sultan Ismail, Bukit Bintang, around 350 customers, business partners and media guests were feted to an evening of sumptuous food while enjoying Carlsberg Malaysia’s portfolio of beers, stouts and ciders as they conveyed their congratulations to Lehmann while getting to know Akiskalos for the first time.

Inspired by the concept of Brixton 23 after the “Kingsman” movie series, Lehmann and Akiskalos made a dapper appearance on stage, igniting a beer fountain with dazzling pyrotechnics in the spirit of semper ardens (Carlsberg’s motto in Latin meaning “always burning”) before joining Carlsberg Malaysia Chairman Datuk Toh Ah Wah, Independent Non-Executive Director Chew Hoy Ping, and the management team to thank guests for their continued support that saw the company through “Probably The Best Year” for the 2018 financial year.

As incoming Managing Director, Akiskalos brings with him nine years of experience within the Carlsberg Group where his first role was as Vice President of Group Strategy with a proven track record in driving growth and leading various transformational projects throughout the Group.

At 40 years of age, this appointment is Akiskalos’ third role as Managing Director within the Carlsberg Group. Currently the Managing Director of Carlsberg Sweden, Akiskalos has led the company to return to double-digit growth, and the highest reputational scores among all beer companies in Sweden. As Managing Director for Carlsberg’s operations in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau, he, together with the team, transformed Hong Kong to be the market leader whilst improving its profits significantly in three years.

Akiskalos said, “I am most honoured and humbled by this appointment because Malaysia, which covers Singapore and an associate company in Sri Lanka, is one of the top three markets in Asia, in terms of profitability and growth. Taking over the helm from Lars, my intent is to continue our growth with our strong brand portfolio and win with our winning customers.”

In delivering his farewell speech, Lehmann said, “It has been Probably The Best three years for me and the Company. Together, we had an unprecedented financial year in 2018 with strong growth in revenue, net profit and free cash flow, allowing us to declare the highest dividends in the history of Carlsberg Malaysia. None of these would be possible if it wasn’t for our customers and consumers’ support towards our brands, our people and our businesses.”

Both the outgoing and new Managing Directors pledged the company’s commitment to continue delivering excellence in great innovations, excellent product quality and relevant consumer activations in the times ahead.