Jolly announced last week that he was leaving HP, where he had been country manager for UK and Ireland at HP Industrial since 2017.
Yesterday it was announced he would join Duplo International in the newly created role of chief innovations officer on 21 May. He will report directly to Bruno Picquet, Duplo International CEO and chairman.
According to Picquet, the broad focus of Jolly’s role will be to drive Duplo’s growth ambitions and evolution, with a special focus on B2 and packaging.
"This is a strategic role that will drive our business evolution, not only in terms of sales results but primarily in terms of opening new markets in EMEA,” he said.
“The shareholders of Duplo International are very happy to have Peter back and see in him a fantastic opportunity to grow the business going forward.”
Jolly first joined Duplo in 2004 as marketing manager, rising through the ranks to become UK managing director in September 2012. He left to join HP five years later.
On his LinkedIn post announcing his new role, Jolly said: “Duplo is where it all began for me twenty years ago and a company that gave me the start for the career that I have today. It feels fantastic to return.”
He said his initial focus will be on “getting to know the business again”, something that will be accelerated by the pre-Drupa timing of his appointment.
Jolly will be attending the Düsseldorf show for the full duration, after which he will work alongside the board to “help the company grow incremental revenues across EMEA, over and above the current business growth, through new and innovative strategic projects”.
This was echoed by Picquet, who said: “Peter’s visionary leadership and passion for ground-breaking ideas will play a crucial role in shaping our organisation’s trajectory.”
Asked if succession planning was a factor in Jolly’s appointment, Picquet said: “Succession planning should always be part of any business plan and Duplo is no exception. The work we do today lays the foundation for what our business will become in the future.”
