Est. 2001·3,000+ placements · six offices · four regions
Leadership Changecurated sourcedetected 2026-10-26 · confidence 80%

Last updated

Apetit: Leadership Change

Finnish food group Apetit CEO Esa Mäki has stepped down after more than seven years, and the company is searching for a successor.

Source: Just Food

What happened
Finnish food group Apetit CEO Esa Mäki has stepped down after more than seven years, and the company is searching for a successor.
Who
Apetit · Finland
When
2026-10-26
Source
Just Food
So what
A change at the top rarely stays at the top.

The leadership read

A change at the top rarely stays at the top. Apetit's move reshapes the layer beneath it in the sector as a new leader sets priorities and the team re-forms. Watch the first two or three appointments that follow; they signal direction more reliably than any statement.

Market context: MitchelLake's Talent Market Index sits at 109 (Hot), up 7.3 on the prior month; EMEA hiring signal is running easing (-3.1pts).

Apetit: 1 signal in the last 90 days.

MitchelLake in this thematic

More signals across EMEA

Leadership Change · EMEA

Atlas Copco →

Atlas Copco appointed long-serving executive Mikael Andersson to lead its Power Technique business area from January 2027, an internal succession move.

Leadership Change · EMEA

LKQ Corporation →

LKQ is undergoing a CEO transition, flagged alongside a Roth/MKM downgrade citing Europe weakness.

Leadership Change · EMEA

Feyenoord →

Feyenoord replaced head coach Robin van Persie with Giovanni van Bronckhorst at the end of the 2025/26 season, after a recent technical director and general manager changeover (Dévy Rigaux and Robert Eenhoorn succeeded Dennis te Kloese). The club also posted a sharp financial deterioration: revenue fell from EUR166.7m to EUR115.2m and the pre-tax result swung from a EUR31.1m profit to a EUR17.0m loss.

Leadership Change · EMEA

Dar Global Capital Partners →

Dar Global Capital Partners, the DIFC-based, DFSA-regulated asset management arm of Dar Global, names Ziad El Chaar as Chairman while outlining a value-creation and downside-protection strategy for Dubai real estate opportunities.

Leadership Change · EMEA

Auction Technology Group plc →

Activist shareholder FitzWalter Capital (27.2% holder) has requisitioned a general meeting to remove chair Scott Forbes and appoint Richard Campbell-Breeden, a former Goldman Sachs vice chairman, who would be asked to lead a comprehensive strategic review including a possible full sale process. FitzWalter also wants the company moved to the US. This follows a dozen rejected takeover bids and a CEO change in May (Duncan Painter replaced John-Paul Savant).

Leadership Change · EMEA

Auction Technology Group →

Activist Fitzwalter Capital, the largest shareholder, is pushing to oust chair Scott Forbes and install nominee Richard Campbell-Breeden, with a strategic review that could include a buyback or sale; a general meeting is called for shareholders to vote.

Where this lands in our work

Weekly briefing

Track companies like Apetit — with our analysis

Anyone can set an alert for one company. We send a weekly read on the whole peer set — who's moving, and what it means for leadership. Pick what to follow:

Intelligence powered by Autonodal ↗