COSALT is to part company with chief executive Per Jonsson less than two years after his appointment following shareholder pressure to appoint someone with a global background who can take the group on to the next stage of its development.
Mark Lejman will take over the top role at the Grimsby-based safety equipment company Cosalt at the beginning of June.
Mr Jonsson has spearheaded the group's decision to ditch non-core businesses in favour of its main marine safety services busine
ss and has helped the group expand into Europe.
But now major investors including David Ross, the multi-millionaire co-founder of Carphone Warehouse, have decided that the group needs a more dynamic person in the role.
One analyst said: "Per has done a great job with the business and investors are pleased with what he's done, but the next stage of the group's development requires someone with broader international capabilities. There's no room for sentimentality at Cosalt."
Mr Jonsson, who earned a total package of £240,000 last year, consisting of a basic salary of £210,000, a bonus of £20,000 and taxable benefits of £10,000, is in discussions about his pay-off. He has resigned from the company and will leave on June 1.
Mr Lejman boasts an international industrial career spanning 30 years in markets such as Russia, China and Canada.
In a statement Cosalt said Mr Lejman is "eminently qualified to lead the group through the next and critical stage of its development including plans for building a significant global footprint".
Mr Lejman spent 20 years at Courtaulds from 1978 to 1998 where he held a number of senior management positions including chief executive of its Tencel premium fibres division.
In 1998 he was part of the team that led the management buy-out of Tencel from Akzo Nobel, which bought Courtaulds.
He was recruited by the Morgan Crucible Co as a director and chief executive of its Carbon division. Between 2004 and earlier this year, he helped to refocus the group and build its presence in new growth market sectors.
He is also a non-executive director at Delta.
Cosalt chairman John Kelly said: "We are undergoing a rapid and exciting transformation and we have the opportunity to become a leader in the global marine and offshore oil and gas safety markets.
The arrival of Mark, who has extensive hands-on international experience across a range of markets, will accelerate the implementation of our strategy"
The group said that Mr Jonsson has played a key role in the group's strategy of building a major presence in the European marine safety market. "The board is grateful to him for his contribution and wishes him well for the future," it said in a statement.
It said that the group is seeing positive trading conditions in its core businesses.
Last week Cosalt announced the sale of Banner, the group's school uniform and childrenswear business, for £4.5m to IDP Holdings.
It also said it had paid £265,000 for the assets of Safety At Height Services, a Scottish company that provides harnesses to prevent workers on oil and gas platforms from falling off.
In March the group reported a 32 per cent increase in turnover in its first quarter and said it was confident of further progress through the current year despite the economic environment and its impact on the group's holiday homes division.
At the end of last year the group bought marine services group GTC for up to £30m, raising over £25m to finance the deal.
Cosalt's shares closed down 1 per cent last night, a fall of 3p to 360.5p.
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