Tiffany & Co. Executive Heads to Pandora to Lead North America Market
Pandora is adding an executive from Tiffany & Co. to its ranks: The jeweler has hired Luciano Rodembusch as its new general manager for North America.
Rodembusch worked at Tiffany for more than a decade — most recently serving as senior vice president for the Americas. At Pandora, he will report to the company’s chief commercial officer Martino Pessina.
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Starting in the new role on Aug. 2, Rodembusch will be in charge of all Pandora’s business dealings in North America including the U.S. — a market that, alone, represented 24 percent of company sales in 2020.
Speaking of his new hire, Pessina said: “Luciano comes with a wealth of experience in growing global brands and an excellent track record in jewelry. He has a very strong focus on consumers combined with great leadership capabilities, and he is just the right person to lead our continued progress in North America.”
“Pandora has come out of its turnaround in great shape, and it is a very exciting moment to join the brand. I see tremendous opportunity to grow the business in North America and look forward to being part of the team” added Rodembusch.
Pandora said that North America is its largest market with 1,500 points of sale, including 500 concept stores, and more than 3,000 employees. It now looks to make a concerted effort at growing sales in the U.S. with an updated omnichannel approach that Rodembusch will oversee.
This is part of a larger turnaround effort by Pandora, which was seeing business challenges even prior to the pandemic. But lately — through the launch of co-branded product with the Harry Potter and Star Wars franchises, and a sharpened strategy for its global network — the company has seen its fortunes reverse.
In May, Pandora raised its 2021 guidance — projecting organic growth will reach 12 percent or higher, compared to a previous expectation of around 8 percent. Earnings before interest and taxes are expected to be higher than 22 percent. In April, the jeweler said its revenues were up 13 percent year-over-year.
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