Ole & Steen, the Danish bakery group, has appointed Graham Hollinshead as its new UK MD. 

Formerly of Wagamama, SoHo House, Caravan and Starbucks, Hollinshead joins following the departure of CEO Jason Cotta, which was revealed yesterday.

Hollinshead was most recently MD at Rockwater, and joins Ole & Steen from November.

Lee Dixon stepped down as MD of Ole & Steen in April, later joining Honest Burge as ops director. 

Following the departure of Cotta, chief commercial officer Jesper Mark Dixen is interim group CEO while a permanent appointment is found.

In the UK, the concept first launched at St James’s Market in 2016.

Over the last five years, the brand has grown to 26 bakery shops in and around London. The UK is the largest market for the Ole & Steen outside of its Danish home market, where it has its roots dating back more than 30 years when it was founded in Copenhagen.

Hollinshead said: “The opportunity to join a brand that has revolutionised the premium fresh bakery market is really just a no-brainer. I have been fortunate enough to work in some great companies over the years, Starbucks, Wagamama and Caravan. The Ole & Steen offering and product are streets ahead of its competitors, and I’m really looking forward to working with all of the fantastic team both here and in Denmark as we set out to reach the full potential of our business in London and the UK.”

Commenting on the change in CEO, chairman David Campbell said: “Ole & Steen has been through an intense growth journey over the past five years where the company has doubled in size and successfully established itself internationally. Going forward the strategic focus will be on further improving operational performance and continue to build a leading premium bakery-led chain that delivers Danish quality baked goods to customers across Denmark, London and New York. Therefore, the board and Jason Cotta have jointly agreed that a new Group CEO with a different profile will be more suited for the strategic needs of O&S in the future. Jason has played a pivotal role in the company development until now and the board would like to thank him for his material contributions over the past years. The board will now focus on finding a new permanent group CEO. Meanwhile, Jesper Mark Dixen, current Group CCO of O&S, will act as interim group CEO.”