PARIS — With sales in decline, struggling Danish jeweler Pandora continues to bulk up its ranks with the appointment of Geena Tok to head up China. Pandora operates more than 200 stores and employs more than 1,400 people in the country, where business is brisk but hampered by gray market trading.
In terms of experience, Tok, who is based in Shanghai, worked at Nike for 17 years. Mostly recently, she was managing director and chief merchant, direct-to-consumer, at Nike China, leading the brand’s stores and e-commerce business there.
At Pandora, she will report to Kenneth Madsen, president of APAC. She succeeds Anthony Asinas, who has become the brand’s managing director for Hong Kong and Macau.
Pandora earlier this month said that its chief executive officer Anders Colding Friis will step down from his role at the end of August after a disappointing performance by the firm in the second quarter, which was the first full quarter with collections from Pandora’s new design team. His successor is yet to be announced.
Revenue growth from Pandora’s core charms business declined 7 percent in the period, throwing off the company’s annual projections and prompting staff cuts. The company, which saw a decline in profit last year, said it is laying off around 400 workers, including more than 200 in Thailand, where it recently opened a new factory.
As reported, Jeremy Schwartz, formerly ceo of The Body Shop, has been named chief operating officer, effective in September. Schwartz, along with chief financial officer Anders Boyer, will be jointly responsible for running Pandora until it finds a new chief.