BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Accell Group have announced that Jonas Nilsson, previously its COO, will become the business’s new CEO, taking leadership of the group from Tuesday, April 1, 2025.
Accell Group, As part of this reorganisation the current CEO, Tjeerd Jegen will step down, and, following a transition period, become the Chair to the Supervisory Board of Accell, with Annemarie Jorritsma, the current Chair, transitioning to Vice Chair.
On sharing the news, a spokesperson comments: “With Jonas Nilsson at the helm, Accell is well-equipped to navigate the opportunities and challenges ahead.
“Going forward, the leadership team will further optimise and capitalise on the One Accell platform to become a truly integrated player, enhancing competitiveness to navigate the ongoing difficult market conditions.”
The announcement of a new CEO comes following other senior management recruitment news for the Heerenveen, Netherlands, headquartered business.
Matthieu Bazil has this week become the Accell Group EVP of sports, with the appointment following the November 2024 news that Selin Can took on the role of EVP of mobility.
In these roles, Can and Bazil will “drive critical initiatives, including strategic brand definition and portfolio optimisation, product and marketing excellence and e-commerce growth and innovation”.
Bazil has held leadership roles across Europe, North America, and APAC, where he successfully spearheaded brand repositioning and development efforts. His expertise will be instrumental in shaping the future of our sports division, which includes renowned brands such as Lapierre, Haibike Ghost and Van Nicholas.
With an impressive career spanning 25+ years in the sports industry, Bazil brings a wealth of experience from leading global brands such as 2 ride Group, Aqualung Group, Fox Racing, Quiksilver, Oxbow, and Adidas.
The announcements, coming within days of each other, see the business highlighting that “At Accell Group, we believe in crafting the joy of cycling”, whilst also stating that “we’re confident Matthieu’s leadership and experience will elevate our sports division to new heights.”
Industry observers will note that the multi-brand group has endured a torrid time over the past 24 months, with well-publicised financial struggles leading owner KKR to restructure the business, closing some brands, whilst working to reduce its overall debt.
