Pandora names chief of retail operations

Pandora has promoted Massimo Basei to chief of retail operations from his role as general manager of Southern Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Basei starts his new role on April 1 and will report to Pandora chief executive Alexander Lacik and serve on the jewellery brand’s executive leadership team.

As chief of retail operations, Basei will be responsible for global retail operations across Pandora’s 6,500 points of sale in more than 100 markets. This will include network expansion, franchise relations, omni-channel experience, store development, and global merchandising.

The move comes as Pandora confirmed that its nine market clusters will now report directly to Lacik as part of its ongoing long-term growth strategy.

Lacik said in a statement: “We are executing on our growth strategy at high speed, as reflected in our strong financial performance. With this change we accelerate our efforts to bring an even better experience to millions of customers around the world.

“I am happy that Massimo will take the role as chief of retail operations. Over the past 13 years, he has established Italy as one of Pandora’s largest markets and built an exceptionally strong position for the brand. I thank Martino for taking our retail operations important steps forward by expanding our store network and evolving our omni-channel approach.”

Sara Bergiotti, current sales director of the Southern Europe, Middle East and Africa cluster, will take over as general manager of the cluster, added Pandora, while chief commercial officer Martino Pessina is stepping down.