Oatly Group has named Jean-Christophe Flatin, current global president of the company, to succeed CEO Toni Petersson.

The transition will take place on June 1. Petersson, who has led the company since 2012, will transition to co-chairperson of the board of directors.

Flatin has 30 years in the food industry, and first joined Oatly last year. With his leadership, the company simplified its organizational structure. He led the company toward a new “asset light” operating structure, selling some of its manufacturing capacity to Ya YA Foods this January.

Previous to Oatly, Flatin worked at Mars Inc. in positions that included managing brands in areas including pet food and chocolate. He was hired at the same time as Chief Operating Officer Daniel Ordonez, and their hiring was seen as a way to bring more solid and established leadership to the quickly growing company. 

“Jean-Christophe is a proven leader and the ideal person to help usher Oatly in our next phase,” Petersson said in a statement. “He has already strengthened our company for the better by putting our supply chain back on firmer footing, renewing our focus on innovation, and enabling our organization to go on offense to drive profitable growth.” 

Oatly's first quarter 2023 results showed a 17.7% increase compared to the prior year period, with the quarter ending March 31. Also, R&D expenses in the first quarter increased $1.5 million to $5.7 million compared to $4.3 million in the prior year period.

Oatly is looking at revenue growth of 23% to 28% for the full year, compared to full year 2022.