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Marimekko's appointment of Karolin Stjerna comes with a broader change to the way the company is organized.
The Finnish design house announced yesterday that Stjerna will join the management group as chief operating officer, supply chain, reporting directly to CEO Tiina Alahuhta-Kasko. At the same time, Marimekko is separating supply chain management from product portfolio management, two functions that previously sat under a single executive.
The decision creates separate leadership structures for operations and product direction as the company continues its international expansion.
A new supply chain leader
Stjerna joins from Danish fashion brand Ganni, where she served as COO and a member of the executive committee. Before that, she held leadership positions in supply chain, logistics, and customer service at both Ganni and L'Oréal.
Announcing the appointment, CEO Tiina Alahuhta-Kasko highlighted Stjerna's experience scaling international operations:
"I am excited to welcome Karolin to our management group. Her versatile experience in leading global operations in our industry to support international scaling is a great asset for us on our growth journey. Strategic supply chain management has an increasingly important role in building Marimekko's future competitiveness and enhancing our productivity, flexibility and agility."
The appointment places an executive with international operations experience in charge of sourcing, logistics, quality control, product development, and Marimekko's printing factory in Helsinki.
The end of a combined role
Stjerna's arrival follows the departure of Tina Broman, who served as chief supply chain and product officer. Broman stepped down on June 2 by mutual agreement.
Her role combined responsibility for sourcing, production, logistics, product development, and portfolio management. Those responsibilities will now be divided between separate functions.
Supply chain activities will move under Stjerna's leadership. Product portfolio management and development will move to the merchandising team, which is responsible for shaping the product range in line with Marimekko's brand and business objectives.
The company has started recruiting a permanent merchandising director. Until then, CMO Sanna-Kaisa Niikko will oversee the function.
Alahuhta-Kasko credited Broman with building the foundation for the next stage of development. "Under Tina's leadership, Marimekko's sourcing, own production and logistics as well as product development and portfolio management have been lifted to a new level. Together with her team, Tina has created a strong foundation for us to now move on to a new phase in supply chain and product portfolio management according to Marimekko's SCALE strategy."
Growth plans continue
The reorganization comes as Marimekko continues to expand internationally.
First-quarter 2026 net sales increased 5 percent to EUR 41.4 million. Comparable operating profit rose 19 percent to EUR 5.3 million, representing a margin of 12.7 percent. International sales grew 9 percent, while retail sales increased 20 percent across all market areas.
The company maintained its guidance for 2026, forecasting net sales growth and a comparable operating profit margin of around 16 to 19 percent.
Expansion plans also remain unchanged. Marimekko expects to open 10 to 15 new stores and shop-in-shops during 2026, primarily in Asia, while adding Indonesia and the Philippines to its franchise network.
The company is also using its 75th anniversary year to increase visibility through brand collaborations, including collections with Finnish jewelry icon Kalevala Jewelry and Hong Kong-based phone accessory company CASETiFY.
Separate ownership for two priorities
Marimekko said the reorganization reflects the growing importance of supply chain management in a more dynamic operating environment and the need for stronger product portfolio management to support international growth.
The result is a structure in which supply chain management and product portfolio management no longer sit under a single executive.
One function now reports through a chief operating officer focused on operations. The other sits within merchandising, under leadership responsible for the brand, product range, and market needs.
The company is still recruiting the executive who will permanently lead merchandising. Stjerna, meanwhile, takes responsibility for the operational side of the equation from June 8.
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