Lars Rasmussen resigns his position as CEO of Coloplast A/S. The board has appointed current Executive Vice President for Coloplast Chronic Care, Kristian Villumsen, as new CEO of the company.

After 30 years in Coloplast, 17 of them in Executive Management and 10 years as CEO, Lars Rasmussen has decided to resign his position as CEO of Coloplast A/S as of December 4^th, 2018.

• Succeeding Lars, who during his 10 years as CEO of Coloplast has spearheaded Coloplast’s successful transformation and development into a global, highly profitable and respected MedTech company, is a tall order. On behalf of Coloplast’s Board of Directors and Coloplast’s employees I want to thank Lars for his outstanding leadership and engagement in Coloplast through good and difficult times during his 30 years with the company, says Chairman of the Board of Directors Michael Pram Rasmussen, Coloplast.

Lars Rasmussen has been nominated by the Board of Directors to assume the role of Chairman of the Board of Directors of Coloplast A/S, succeeding Michael Pram Rasmussen who will not stand for re-election at the next Annual General Meeting on Wednesday December 5^th, 2018.

• It has been a great pleasure to work at Coloplast for more than 30 years and to serve as CEO during a period where we have been able to create one of the world’s most profitable MedTech companies. The company has undergone a transformation, and today it is a user-focused MedTech company with a strong innovation pipeline. We have launched products that make life easier for people with intimate healthcare needs, and that makes me very proud, says CEO Lars Rasmussen, Coloplast.
  
  
  
  
• I am honoured that the Coloplast Board of Directors has nominated me to become Chairman of the Board, and I look forward to taking part in the continued development of the company, says Lars Rasmussen.

Michael Pram Rasmussen has chosen not to renominate himself as Chairman of the Board of Coloplast A/S, and as a result he retires from the Board of Directors at this year’s annual general meeting.

• Since 2006 Michael Pram Rasmussen has served Coloplast as Chairman of the Board of Directors. I am very grateful for his many contributions and relentless commitment to Coloplast. I look forward to welcoming Lars Rasmussen into his new role as Chairman and to working together with him and the rest of the Board members to lead Coloplast into the future, says Deputy Chairman Niels Peter Louis-Hansen.

A new CEO in Coloplast

Effective December 4^th 2018, the Board of Directors has elected current Executive Vice President for Coloplast Chronic Care Kristian Villumsen as new CEO of Coloplast. The process to find a successor for Kristian Villumsen has been initiated. 

• With Kristian Villumsen as CEO, the company will have a strong leader, who will guarantee Coloplast’s continued competitiveness. Kristian is a talented businessman with many years of insights into the company and the industry. Together with the other members of the Executive Management, Anders Lonning-Skovgaard and Allan Rasmussen, and the rest of the organisation the company is well equipped for the future, says Lars Rasmussen.

Kristian Villumsen joined Coloplast in 2008 and since then, he has been head of Global Marketing, Region Europe and Region Emerging Markets. In 2014 the Executive Management team was expanded with two members, and Kristian Villumsen was appointed Executive Vice President of Chronic Care and he became responsible for Global Marketing, the sales regions and innovation pipeline within ostomy and continence care.

• I am both proud and humble to be offered the job as CEO of a company that year after year has delivered strong results. Coloplast has never had a stronger product portfolio and organisation and is currently standing on a very strong platform. We have a strategy towards 2020 that will ensure that we continue to take market share across regions and business areas. We will move even closer to our customers and we want to deliver clinically differentiated innovation – I can’t think of a more exciting time to be offered the job of CEO in Coloplast, says new CEO Kristian Villumsen, Coloplast.

Kristian Villumsen is a member of the Board of Directors of Chr. Hansen A/S. He holds an M.A. in Political Science from Aarhus University, Denmark, and a Master in Public Policy degree from Harvard University, US.

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