Alexander Lacik (pictured) will take over as Pandora chief executive officer on April 23—sooner than some had anticipated.
When Pandora first announced Lacik’s appointment in February, the company said that its new CEO, who then headed child safety company Britax, would take over as soon as possible, but no later than Sept. 1.
Two factors seem to have nudged Lacik to join Pandora four months before the original deadline. Earlier this month, chief operating officer Jeremy Schwartz—who formerly headed the Body Shop—resigned.
In a statement, Pandora chairman Peder Tuborgh indicated Schwartz’s resignation was due to the “overlapping of competencies between him and Alexander Lacik.” But his departure left Pandora without either a CEO or a chief operating officer.
Lacik had also pledged to stay at Britax until his successor was named. The company found a replacement for him last month.
In a statement, Tuborgh said he was “happy that Alexander can take office now.”
Pandora has been without a permanent CEO since last August, when longtime head Anders Colding Friis resigned. In the months since, the Danish charm manufacturer had been jointly managed on an interim basis by Schwartz and chief financial officer and executive vice president Anders Boyer.
Boyer, a former board member who became CFO last year, and Lacik will form the company’s executive management team, a statement said.
Prior to heading Britax, Lacik worked for British consumer brand Reckitt Benckiser, which owns a stable of brands including Clearasil, Lysol, and Air Wick. From 2013 and 2017, he served as president of the company’s North American division, its largest, overseeing a $3.5 billion annual business.
“I am very pleased to be able to join Pandora quickly,” Lacik said in a statement. “[New strategy] Programme NOW is progressing rapidly, and it is important for me to join the Programme while execution is still in its early phase.”
(Image courtesy of Pandora)
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