LEGO AXES 61-YEAR OLD BOSS – BECAUSE HE IS TOO OLD!

LEGO’S first ever foreign chief executive – a Brit – has been removed after just eight months in the job as the toymaker trades him in for a younger model.

Bali Padda, 61, who took over as boss of the Danish firm in January, becoming the first non-Dane to lead the plastic giant, will be replaced by newcomer Niels Christiansen, 51, in October.

Lego’s chairman Jorgen Vig Knudstorp said the decision was not due to Padda’s performance, but because his age meant that he would not have a long tenure.

He said: ‘It isn’t a humiliation. He’s definitely not disappointed us. Bali knew that I would immediately look for a successor.

‘Both Bali and I thought it would take a long time as it’s not a trivial matter. I was just very fortunate that, relatively early, we found the right person.’

Padda takes on an ‘advisory role’ to make way for Christiansen, who previously served as chief executive of products firm Danfoss.