Danica Pension confirmed it is hiring Lars Ellehave-Andersen, the chief commercial officer of rival PFA whose departure was announced less than two weeks ago.

Ellehave-Andersen is to spend the next 12 months as interim head of Danica Pension in Norway, and on August 1, 2016, will start work as the new commercial director (CCO) of the Danica group in Denmark, and become a member of its board.

Danica declined to comment on media speculation that Ellehave-Andersen’s contract with PFA prevented him from moving to a competitor company within Denmark immediately.

Per Klitgård, Danica’s managing director, said: “Lars has delivered solid results in his career.”

He came to Danica with a thorough knowledge of companies on all levels and of labour-market parties, and could therefore bolster Danica Pension’s customer relations, he said.

“Lars is ambitious and focused and that fits in well with Danica Pension,” he said.

“I am convinced he is the right person to ensure Danica Pension exploits our closer cooperation with Danske Bank in the next few years, and our ever increasing focus on customers to strengthen our market position,” he said.

Ellehave-Andersen has worked at PFA since 2006. Previous employers included PensionDanmark, Danica said.

When Ellehave-Andersen takes up his job on the Danica group board in Denmark next year, he will replace Jesper Winkelman.

Winkelmann will step down from the board on July 31, 2016, but remain at Danica Pension until the end of that year.

He has worked at Danica Pension for 19 years, and had already been in the process of handing over his role to the next generation, Danica said.