The new IKEA CEO began his career as a store director – he remembers working at 5 am in the loading area and eating hot dogs with the founder

“I feel deeply grateful, humble and responsible for confidence and self -confidence. Working with (outgoing CEO) Jesper Brodin for seven years has been a real privilege,” Maeztu wrote in a recent LinkedIn article. “The future excites me. We have a solid base, a clear direction and nearly 170,000 incredible colleagues around the world. ”

In November, Maeztu will go up to the bar of Ikea, joining an exclusive cohort of managers who held it and set up the ranks of their companies at the CEO. And this includes the IKEA CEO he replaces, Brodin, who served 30 years in the company and has made his way to the assistant of his boss. Walmart chief Doug McMillon also devoted 30 years of his life of a most powerful employment worker in the company of $ 765 billion.

Like Brodin and McMillon, the start of Maeztu at the furniture giant who won $ 52.6 billion in total last year was far from glamorous. However, in these moments of the workshop, he was often able to rub his shoulders with the late founding of Ikea, Ingvar Kamprad.

“I have been dozens of times with Ingvar in the workshop from five in the morning in the loading area and finishing at 10 a.m. with a hot dog,” said Maeztu Financial time. “The important thing is that we all carry the mind of Ingvar, and that I feel very faithful.”

After being hired for a decade, he finally reached the C -Suite in 2012 – and in just a few months, he will have led to the company’s business hierarchy.

Fortune contacted IKEA to comment.

Maeztu’s career trajectory: Climbing the ranks of the store director in CEO

From his 25 years of service in Ikea, Maeztu knows the brand’s supporters and outings that will be essential to help him direct the retail giant. The 57 -year -old Ikea devotee is the first non -Sweden to direct the European retail giant – a leadership jump which shows that Maeztu is the right choice to lead the company. He obtained first place because of his “entrepreneurial manager focused on the objective” and the in -depth experience of the store – was garnished through decades of international leaders in IKEA, according to the company.

Maeztu began as Alcorcon store director in Madrid in 2001, also directing the site of Ikea Sevilla in 2003. Although his salary in the role is not widely reported, store managers in Spain generally earn around € 22,000 to 35,000 € (around $ 25,000 at $ 40,000) each year, according to an analysis by Glassdoor.

Maeztu then went to a more administrative role as director of human resources of the country for Spain and Portugal – a position which was near his home, while the new CEO was raised in the Spanish city of Cadiz. After a brief passage in the direction of these workforce, he returned to a management position for the flagship store in London Wembley in 2009. A few years later, he would finally perform in the C-Suite.

Maeztu observed the current CEO of Ikea Jesper Brodin for 7 years

In 2012, Maeztu became CEO of Ikea India, leading the creation of operations in the country for six years. At this stage, he had worked in four countries and two continents, creating a name as a diversified leader. Then, the next big break occurred when he became assistant and financial director of Ikea and his franchise portfolio company: Ingka Group.

Over the past seven years, he has worked alongside Brodin, 56, to navigate the affordable furniture chain through the covid-19 locking storms and international tensions.

“We have crossed a lot of storms together – pandemic geopolitical problems, war, etc.”, said Brodin Reuters. “So, in a way, I am proud of the things we have done, but also very confident that the Ikea house is in good condition and we can take off for the future with Juvencio.”

Maeztu will now become Managing Director of Ingka, leading around 500 IKEA stores in 31 countries, which has obtained around 80% of the retail brand. To prepare for the position, he embarks on a “listening tour” of his large locations around the world, leaving in Asia. His success is one for books, and his next feat will help to reverse the profit and the lower net revenues of the company compared to last year.

“I am fully determined to make Ikea grow and to be really relevant for several million additional consumers worldwide,” said Maeztu Reuters.