Danish fintech firm Pleo has appointed a new chief financial officer, the company told CNBC exclusively, beefing up its executive team — a sign the company is readying itself for an eventual initial public offering. Most notably, Lonning had experience as CFO at Danish food enzyme maker Chr Hansen. Chr Hansen, which is listed on the Danish stock exchange, is one of Denmark's most valuable publicly listed firms, with a market cap of more than $10 billion. The European Union recently approved a $22 billion merger between Chr Hansen and competitor Novozymes. That's a dilemma for companies, but even more so for the lifestyle of Pleo and tech companies."

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Persons: Pleo, Soren Westh Lonning, Chr Hansen, Lonning, Novozymes Organizations: CNBC, Danish bioscience, WS Audiology, Danish, European Union