The world’s largest jeweller, Pandora, has hired its first female chief executive after its current boss announced plans to step down after nearly seven years.
The Danish company, whose gems are advertised by actress Pamela Anderson, said its chief marketing officer, Berta de Pablos-Barbier, will replace Alexander Lacik when he retires next year.
Pandora chair Peter Ruzicka said de Pablos-Barbier, whose CV includes a stint running LVMH’s Moët & Chandon champagne division, stood out as the ‘clear number one’ in the hunt for a new boss.
Ruzicka added: ‘She is a visionary leader with great analytical skills and a perfect mix of experience from top brands across luxury, fashion and fast-moving consumer goods.
‘She is the right person to lead our continued growth, and I am pleased that we can maintain strategic focus and momentum during this smooth and orderly leadership transition.’
The firm is known for its signature £25 charms, as well as diamonds such as those sported by Pamela Anderson at New York’s Met Gala.
Pandora has evolved to today’s heights from a single Copenhagen store opened in 1982
But it has recently pinned its hopes on a new range ‘Tailsmans’, to target fashion-forward Gen Zs. This jewellery, which is in the style of ancient coins with Latin inscriptions, is advertised by singer Tyla.
Lacik, 60, is retiring after seven years at the helm of the company. He yesterday described the role as ‘the greatest experience of my professional life’ and said he was ‘convinced that the company will continue its rise’.
After spells at consumer goods firms Procter & Gamble and Reckitt, he took over at Pandora in 2019. His predecessor stepped down after a profit warning in 2018.
‘There was a narrative that Pandora was going to disappear,’ he told The Mail on Sunday last year.
Previous management, he said, had lost focus by introducing too many new products that weren’t quite right, followed by streams of discounts.
Now, the business claims it will ‘win the hearts of the new generations’ with its latest range of stylish products.
Traditionally, its charm bracelets have been used by customers to celebrate milestone life moments such as birthdays or graduations.
Pandora has evolved to today’s heights from a single Copenhagen store opened in 1982 by goldsmith Per Enevoldsen and wife Winnie.
The chain has 278 stores in the UK and is rapidly expanding across the US, where it has around 1,160 shops.
It is still based in Copenhagen, though its charms have been produced in Thailand since 1986.
Shares on the Copenhagen stock market have fallen 20.5 per cent over the past six months after Donald Trump’s chaotic trade policies.
Thailand, where Pandora makes most of its products such as its £35 signature charms for bracelets, has been hit with a hefty 19 per cent charge on exports to the US.
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