After 39 years of faithful service, the last 13 serving as group CEO, Sten Kjelstrup has chosen to say goodbye to HARDI INTERNATIONAL A/S.

"I've had some fantastic years at HARDI," says Sten Kjelstrup with his familiar quirky smile and continues: "During my time at HARDI, the company has become a market leader in many areas and a true global player. I’m grateful to have been part of this exciting journey.“

Sten Kjelstrup, who soon turns 65, has together with his wife decided that the time has come for a better 'work/life balance'.

"Right now, HARDI stands in the middle of a transition phase, ready to implement several new strategic projects. From a tactical point of view, it’s the perfect time to ‘pass the baton’ to someone else," says Sten Kjelstrup.

“HARDI is a fantastic company with a strong management team, a unique employee spirit and a solid national and international brand. Not only has this brought the company through the Corona crisis relatively unscathed. It also means that I feel safe in handing over the reins to my successor,” he continues.

"I will, of course, miss the daily contact with good colleagues and partners in the industry, both at home and abroad, but I will try to keep in touch as best as I can," Sten Kjelstrup adds.

New CEO at HARDI as of 2 February 2021 is 55-year old Jens Kristensen from Denmark. Jens Kristensen brings with him an impressive professional toolbox from various top management and board positions at leading companies in Denmark and North America, including GN Resound and Jupiter Bach.

“HARDI International is an exciting company with a loyal group of employees. The company has a good starting point for executing the measures needed to improve its profitability and global market position. I'm glad the owners at EXEL Industries trust me to be the right person to take the business forward. I look forward to getting started together with the rest of the team,” says Jens Kristensen.

Yves Belegaud, CEO of EXEL Industries, the French family-owned company that owns HARDI, and chairman of the board of directors of HARDI, comments: “We would like to express our gratitude to Sten for all that he has done through the years, not only for HARDI but also for the EXEL Group. With Jens, we now have a new strong leader with the network and abilities to strengthen HARDI in a changeable and competitive business landscape.”

HARDI INTERNATIONAL A/S has approximately 1,000 employees in more than 10 locations around the world. Each of these employees works purposefully every day to improve the efficiency, quality and sustainability of modern agriculture. HARDI INTERNATIONAL A/S is a part of the Groupe EXEL Industries SA.