Lego CEO Bali Padda has been replaced after just eight months in the job.

The toymaker said Bali Padda, 61, was never expected to remain in the post long-term because of his age.

When he took over last December, Lego said the search would begin immediately for a successor.

The search “went faster than expected”, the Danish company said.

Image source Flickr

Lego’s new chief executive will be 51-year-old Niels Christiansen, former boss of Danfoss.

A Lego spokesman said Niels Christiansen, who left engineering company Danfoss at the end of June, was the “perfect match” for the chief executive job at Lego.

Niels Christiansen will take up his new post in October.

Bali Padda, who had been with Lego for 15 years and was the company’s first British chief executive, will remain with Lego as a special adviser.