Pandora CEO Lacik retires: his head of marketing takes over

Pandora CEO Alexander Lacik has announced his intention to retire in March 2026. Berta de Pablos-Babier, currently Chief Marketing Officer at the Danish jewellery brand, is to succeed him.

Left: CEO Alexander Lacik and his successor from 2026, Berta de Pablos-Barbier. © WWD/Pandora

Retirement farewell

After seven years at the helm of Danish jewellery giant Pandora, the current CEO, Alexander Lacik, plans to retire. His departure is planned for March 2026. A successor to fill his role has already been named. It is the Spaniard Berta de Pablos-Barbier, who currently holds the role of Chief Marketing Officer and has been part of the Pandora family since November 2024. This is reported JCK online.

Earlier in her career, she held roles at Moët & Chandon, the champagne brand from LVMH, as well as Dom Pérignon and Mercier. Berta de Pablos-Babier worked as Chief Growth Officer at the food company Mars Wrigley.

In a statement, Pablos-Barbier explained that she wants to drive Pandora's further development into a holistic jewellery brand. She commented:

"Although we are one of the largest jewellery companies in our industry, Pandora still has great untapped potential."

Lacik: "Life in the fast lane"

Opposite the fashion magazine WWD the outgoing CEO Lacik said that he had no plans to retire. 

"I've spent the last 35 years in the fast lane and my family has supported me through it all. Now is the time for me to give back. For the time being, I will spend more time with my family, look after myself and then see what happens. I'm not going to rush into a new operational role."

Alexander Lacik joined Pandora in 2019 as the sixth Managing Director in nine years. One of his first statements after stepping into his role was:

"Every company's turnaround begins with the mistakes it has made with its customers."

His goal was to help Pandora regain relevance as a brand. In a 2021 JCK podcast, Lacik explained that Pandora had lost its connection to its core audience. People felt the brand had lost its clarity. "I don't know what Pandora actually stands for anymore," said the CEO.

His response to the dilemma was to invest in favour of marketing and brand positioning. According to Pandora, turnover is said to have increased by 45 per cent under Alexander Lacik; the number of employees worldwide was increased from 24,000 to 37,000.

In 2024, the Danish business magazine "Economic Weekly" named Alexander Lacik CEO of the Year. The assessment was based on a survey of the country's top executives, stock market analysts and portfolio managers.