East Meets North

With a Danish father and a Japanese mother, former media executive Kim Rahbek Hansen has brought unique cross-cultural insights to the role of CEO at Sticks 'N' Sushi, which he co-founded in Copenhagen in 1994. Now one of Scandinavia's largest casual dining brands, the chain profitably combines eat-in, takeaway and retail. Rahbek Hansen has encouraged a fresh approach, not just to menus and the re-engineering of kitchen layouts but in staff motivation, interior design and sustainability initiatives. Interview by Bruce Whitehall.