Kirsti Paakkanen
Kirsti Paakkanen | |
|---|---|
 Kirsti and Jorma Paakkanen in 1951 | |
| Born | Kirsti Kaarina Poikonen 12 February 1929[1] |
| Died | 2 November 2021 (aged 92)[1] Espoo, Finland |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur and business executive |
| Known for | Owner and CEO of Marimekko |
| Spouse | Jorma Paakkanen (m. 1952; div. 1964) |
Kirsti Paakkanen (née Poikonen; 12 February 1929 — 2 November 2021)[2] was a Finnish entrepreneur and business executive.
Career
[edit]Paakkanen studied advertising, and worked for many years in the marketing departments of Finnish retail companies including Elanto and Stockmann.[1]
In 1969, Paakkanen set up her own advertising agency, Womena, which she ran for over 20 years, until selling it in 1990 to McCann.[3][4]
In 1991, Paakkanen acquired the struggling design and fashion house Marimekko from the Amer group (now Amer Sports), and successfully turned it around, growing sales three-fold in a space of five years, and eventually listing the company on the Helsinki Stock Exchange in 1999.[3][5][6] She retired from day-to-day running of the business in 2007, appointing Mika Ihamuotila as her successor; two years later Ihamuotila acquired her shares.[3][5]
Honours and awards
[edit]In 1999, Paakkanen was appointed Yrittäjäneuvos (lit. 'Entrepreneur Counselor') by the President of Finland.[2]
In 2002, she was awarded the Estlander Medal for her significant contributions to Finnish design.[1]
She received two honorary doctorates, in arts (University of Art and Design Helsinki, now part of the Aalto University; 2001) and business (Helsinki School of Economics, now Aalto University School of Business; 2006).[2][1]
References
[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f "Paakkanen, Kirsti (1929-2021)". Kansallisbiografia.fi (in Finnish). National Biography of Finland. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
- ^ a b c "Kirsti Paakkanen - Marimekon pelastaja" [Kirsti Paakkanen - Saviour of Marimekko] (in Finnish). Yle. 17 April 2008. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
- ^ a b c "Paakkanen, Kirsti". Uppslagsverket.fi (in Swedish). Retrieved 18 June 2022.
- ^ "Mainostoimisto Womena-McCann Oy" (in Finnish). Kauppalehti. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
- ^ a b "Marimekon pitkäaikainen omistaja Kirsti Paakkanen on kuollut" [Marimekko's long-term owner Kirsti Paakkanen has died]. Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 5 November 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
- ^ "Marimekko's bid for world domination". The Guardian. 20 September 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
Further reading
[edit]- Konrad, A & Mitchell, J: Marimekko, Harvard Business Publishing (2007) — a case study of Paakkanen's leadership and management philosophy
- Paavilainen, U-M: Suurin niistä on rakkaus, Otava (2020) — authorised biography of Paakkanen (in Finnish) ISBN 978-951-1-35022-4
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