Circularity investee Matsmart-Motatos appoints new chairman
Circularity Capital portfolio company Matsmart-Motatos, the leading D2C e-commerce retailer of overstock dry foods and consumer products, has announced the appointment of Jesper Højer as chairman of the board of directors.
Joining the business with immediate effect, Højer succeeds Kris Beyens, who will continue to support the company as a member of the board. Højer built his career within Lidl, where he has held several executive positions, leading the Belgian and later international business with a presence in over 30 markets. Lidl is the German international discount retailer chain that operates more than 12,000 stores, present in every member state of the European Union, Serbia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.
By procuring and reselling overstock goods that traditional retailers can’t buy, Matsmart’s business model is designed to tackle the issue of waste in the food supply chain. Since its founding, the company has recirculated more than 80,000 tonnes of food and consumer products, preventing widespread environmental impacts while simultaneously solving a structural commercial challenge for FMCG suppliers.
In 2023 alone, Matsmart-Motatos’ customers saved close to 22,000 tonnes of food and consumer products, resulting in more than 19,000 tonnes of net carbon savings.
Commenting on Højer’s appointment, Peter Beckius, CEO of Matsmart-Motatos commented: “Jesper is an authority in the FMCG industry. His experience from both traditional retail and e-commerce will be immensely valuable to us. And, as we are looking ahead, our growth ambitions are primarily focused around the DACH region – which is also where Jesper finds his home turf. I will say that we have found a very good match.”
Højer added: “I’m excited to be part of this journey. Matsmart-Motatos has done a great job of putting the challenges of food waste in the spotlight and has already proven the business model in their home market. I see great potential in scaling and improving the business further.”
Andrew Shannon, Partner at Circularity Capital and board member of Matsmart-Motatos, concluded: “Matsmart-Motatos has built a market leading position in a fast-growing industry addressing a major inefficiency in the global food supply chain. The company has developed a robust platform and built a dedicated team that has already proven its ability to execute.
“Taking up the reins as chairman, Højer’s extensive experience will be instrumental to further scaling the company’s operations and driving internationalisation to meet growing demand. With Jesper at the helm, Matsmart can accelerate its growth ambitions while helping drive the global transition to a more circular economy.”
For more information about Matsmart-Motatos, visit: www.matsmart.se / www.motatos.com.