Brien Winther, who was appointed managing director of Australia and New Zealand in September 2015, will become the managing director of Pandora British Isles as of 1 January 2017.
Mikael Kruse Jensen, currently Pandora Asia Pacific (APAC) vice president of finance, will take over as managing director of Australia and New Zealand, effective 1 March 2017.
Winther told Jeweller there would be a change of personnel only, emphasising no structural changes were planned.
He added Pandora Australia’s management team would take care of the region’s ‘functional areas’ during the two intervening months.
Winther explained the move came about because the current UK managing director, Peter Anderson, had decided to leave the company and he was “thrilled” to be considered for the role.
Time in the hot seat
During his tenure, Winther oversaw consecutive quarters of double-digit revenue increases.
The company does not disclose specific sales figures for the Australian region but a calculation by Jeweller shows Pandora Australia’s revenue increased from AU$42 million in Q3 2015 – around the time Winther was appointed managing director – to AU$62 million in the second quarter of 2016.
“The continued growth and success of the business has been very satisfying. Our network continues to grow strongly, with our push into regional Australia being very successful,” Winther commented.
He also acknowledged the work of his predecessor, David Allen, in “turning the business around” from 2012 onwards. Allen headed the Australian and New Zealand business from 2012; he was appointed managing director of Pandora EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) in August 2015.
Introducing Jensen
Jensen joined Pandora in 2010, holding senior positions in the company’s headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark, as well as its Asia Pacific regional sector, which covers 16 markets.
"I am honoured to be joining the Pandora team in Australia and New Zealand and build on the incredible success the business has achieved,” Jensen said.
“We have a very strong management team in Australia and New Zealand and my focus will be to support and empower them to continue to strengthen the brand and put our consumers first.”
Jensen has most recently been based in Hong Kong, setting up offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo and Singapore.
More reading
Pandora jewellery sales yet to plateau
Pandora targets new jewellery category amid strong results
Sales increase for Pandora, Michael Hill
Pandora jewellery sales on the up and up
Pandora Australia president David Allen moves on