A round-up of senior appointments from across the global coffee industry, including new leadership for Swedish coffee group Löfbergs, New York bakery-café chain Levain Bakery and iced tea business HTeaO
Sweden’s Löfbergs appoints first female CEO in its 120-year history
Prominent Swedish coffee group Löfbergs has appointed its first-ever female CEO as it prepares to embark upon its next phase of growth in Northern Europe.
Former Flora Food Group Global Vice President Anneli Ellsäter will assume the CEO role on 1 October 2026, succeeding Anders Fredriksson who announced his resignation in March 2026.
With roasteries in Sweden, Denmark and Latvia, Löfbergs produces nearly 11 million cups of coffee per day across its Löfbergs and Peter Larsen Kaffe brands. It also owns the Swedish tea brand Kobbs.
New leadership for New York’s Levain Bakery
Iconic New York bakery-café chain Levain Bakery has introduced Co-CEO leadership to deliver its next phase of growth.
Lorna Sommerville and Taya Stenson have stepped up from their respectective Chief Commercial Officer ad Chief Operating Officer roles to serve as Co-CEOs, effective immediately. They succeed John Maguire, who is stepping into a Board position after three and a half years as CEO.
Levain currently operates 21 outlets across seven US states – and has two further stores in its pipeline.
The Nero Group hires new Chief Financial Officer following Compass acquisition
Schott Knudsen joins the coffee shop group from US meat production company Pilgrim’s, where he had served as Chief Financial Officer since 2019. He previously held the same role for Walmart Asia, Danish manufacturing firm Hempel and Scandinavian communications group Cobham.
His appointment at The Nero Group follows the transition of long-serving executive Ben Price to a new Chief Operating Officer role. Price joined Caffè Nero as Chief Financial Officer in June 1997 as part of Founder Gerry Ford’s original management team.
Second Cup Coffee Company gets second chance with new CEO and growth targets
The appointment of a new CEO comes 15 months after Second Cup Coffee Company, the international arm of Canada’s Second Cup Café, received creditor protection after being unable to repay nearly CA$9m ($6.4m) in debts.
The coffee chain, which has a sizeable presence across the Middle East and West Africa, has since completed a restructuring process and successfully emerged from creditor protection. It is now focused on executing its long-term growth strategy under the new leadership of former Wingstop executive Joe Walker.
Panera Bread poaches senior exec from key competitor
Panera Bread has poached its new Chief Marketing Officer from a key competitor in the US fast-casual segment.
Andrew Rebhun joins from Mediterranean-inspired QSR chain CAVA to lead marketing and brand strategy and is tasked with replicating CAVA’s highly successful social media strategy.
HTeaO gets new CEO to stay ahead of the competition
Whether espresso-based beverages, refreshers or energy drinks, the iced US category is booming. With its range of fruit-flavoured refreshers, colourful iced teas, milky iced coffee and matcha, Texas-based HTeaO is in a prime position to meet soaring demand for flavoured cold drinks.
Now ushering in its next chapter of growth, HTeaO has appointed veteran franchise operator Brian Wise as its CEO. Wise brings two decades of experience to the role and is credited with expanding Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers to nearly 600 stores across 37 states and into Canada during his seven-year tenure.
Scooter’s Coffee appoints KFC exec as new Chief Marketing Officer
US drive-thru coffee chain Scooter’s Coffee has appointed former KFC and CAVA executive Anna Faktorovich as its new Chief Marketing Officer, effective 8 September 2026.
Succeeding Malorie Maddox, who announced her decision to step down in May 2026, Faktorovich will oversee Scooter’s brand and marketing strategies with a focus on building loyalty and customer engagement across its 900 stores.
