New managing director
New managing director at leander – with wide industry and brand experience
Leander, the well-known children’s furniture brand, has appointed a new Managing Director. He is Michael Mendgaard-Holm, who brings extensive knowledge and expe-rience of the industry from several strong brands.
Michael Mendgaard-Holm, 44, is taking up his position as the new Managing Director of Leander. The company, with headquarters in Silkeborg, Denmark, is known and recognised in more than 30 markets around the world for its children’s furniture and accessories, and its careful attention to quality, design and functionality.
Michael Mendgaard-Holm brings broad and in-depth experience from strong brands in the industry. For a quarter of a century Leander has especially become known for cots and beds for the youngest, while Michael Mendgaard-Holm has primarily been occupied with beds for grown-ups.
From large beds to children's furniture
He comes directly from Cura of Sweden, the bed and duvet company, where he had primary responsibility for product development of beds and mattress toppers. Before that, he was global marketing manager for the luxury brand, Hästens Beds, where he worked for ten years. He also has sales experience at managerial level from the exclusive end of the kitchen industry, where he was sales manager for brand kitchens at Multiform. Here he was responsible for sales in Denmark and several other countries, primarily in Scandinavia.
At Leander Michael Mendgaard-Holm will be able to deploy all his competence to the full. The company was founded by Stig Leander in 1998, and in October 2022 it be-came part of Bare Collective, a Swedish group which focuses on strong brands in products for women and children.
Michael Mendgaard-Holm will take over as Managing Director from Stig Leander, who is withdrawing from general management, and in future will concentrate on design and development.
“The driving force behind Leander children’s furniture and accessories has always been an ambition to make a real difference in the daily lives of children and their parents. So I am very much looking forward to leading a company with a clear ap-proach, skilled employees and absolutely top-notch Danish-designed, European-made products. It is a solid platform from which to hone, develop and expand the business of the future and benefit from synergies with our Swedish owners,” says Mi-chael Mendgaard Holm.
Further information:
Michael Mendgaard-Holm, Tel.: +45 2963 4344, mmh@leander.com
Press photo for unrestricted use: Michael Mendgaard-Holm is taking up his position as the new Managing Director of Leander. Photographer: Emma Maria Gehlert Nielsen.
About Leander
The story of Leander started in 1998, when Stig Leander’s sister-in-law was expecting twins. This started him thinking about designing a cot that would both soothe small children and stimulate their development. It was the starting point for the famous Leander Classic™ Baby Cot. Since then, it has been followed by a whole range of inno-vative products, such as the widely sold Leander Matty™ changing mat, which has set new standards for baby-changing areas.