Dane Steen Hjortholm will take over as Managing Director of Romanian operations for American cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris International (PMI). He will replace Russian Sergey Slipchenko, who ended his four-year mandate in Romania and will continue with Philip Morris in Russia, the company announced.

Hjortholm has been working with Philip Morris for 19 years. He started as Sales Development Manager for Eastern Europe & Baltics, in 1996, and after two years moved to Romania, where he set up the group’s distribution network, building the operations from zero. He spent one and a half years in Romania.

After that he held several management positions in the group’s regional operations, in South-Africa and Levant. He was also general manager of Philip Morris Hungary for more than three years. His latest position was that of Commercial Capability Development Director in the group’s global operation’s center in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Steen Hjortholm holds an MBA degree from Copenhagen Business School.

Philip Morris Trading, the group’s distribution business in Romania, had EUR 456 million in sales, in 2013. Philip Morris Romania, which operates the group’s local factory, made a turnover of EUR 33 million, in the same year. The two companies had about 800 employees.

Andrei Chirileasa, andrei@romania-insider.com