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Tag: Ingka Group

  • IKEA India on boards Murali Iyer as chief financial officer

    IKEA India on boards Murali Iyer as chief financial officer

    Mumbai: Swedish home furnishings retailer IKEA has appointed Murali Iyer as its new chief financial officer for its India business. He will be part of the IKEA India leadership team reporting to the CEO and chief sustainability officer Susanne Pulverer.

    Murali takes over from Preet Dhupar who has moved into a global role within Ingka group which is the parent company of IKEA.

    In the new role of chief financial officer, Murali will lead IKEA India’s CFO function with purpose towards profit, leading the finance controlling, business navigation, legal, tax, customs, and business risk & compliance teams.

    Murali brings with him over 22 years of successful track record in financial leadership, having worked with the Volvo Group in India and Sweden in multiple roles. With a keen business acumen and curiosity to learn, his experience across geographies and cultures has enabled businesses to overcome challenges for an inclusive growth.

    Commenting on his appointment Murali Iyer, said, “I am excited to begin my journey in IKEA India and contribute to its ongoing growth journey. We are focusing on our priority markets and building a strong home furnishings foundation through our omnichannel expansion to be more accessible, affordable, and sustainable for the many people.”

  • Susanne Pulverer becomes Ikea India’s first woman CEO & CSO

    Susanne Pulverer becomes Ikea India’s first woman CEO & CSO

    Mumbai: Ingka Group-owned home furnishings retailer Ikea on Thursday announced the appointment of Susanne Pulverer as its first woman chief executive officer and chief sustainability officer for India. Pulverer, an experienced Ikea leader takes over from the outgoing India CEO Peter Betzel, who will move on to his next assignment within the Ikea Group. 

    Prior to her role as Ikea India CEO and CSO, Pulverer held the position of group business risk and compliance manager at the Ingka group. This is her third stint in India.

    Pulverer joined Ikea in 1997 and has worked across different roles within the Swedish company. She started her Ikea journey as environmental manager for the Ikea Group and moved on to Ikea Sweden, where she held various roles in different business categories. She then moved to India in 2007 to head the purchasing function for Ikea South Asia during which she developed a strong connection and passion for India and its people. 

    Before joining Ikea India once again in 2017, she was the managing director at Ikea Communications, the in-house agency of Ikea, for five years during which she led the organisation through a major transformation to drive better business and people results. Pulverer, in her last role in India led market development for Delhi NCR, where she also drove the sustainability agenda and local community initiatives crucial to Ikea’s vision and mission to become a climate-positive business by 2030.  

    “I am excited to be back in India, as we are moving closer towards our vision of creating a better everyday life for the many people. India is a prioritised market for Ingka Group,” stated Susanne Pulvere. “Peter and the team have done a truly commendable job of introducing Ikea in India as a purpose-led brand, expanding the omnichannel presence across cities, strengthening local sourcing and retail competence, and so much more.”

    During his tenure in India, Peter led the Ikea India team through the journey of transformation and with his deep passion for people and business, steered Ikea in India during extraordinary times posed due to the pandemic.  

    “It has been an incredible experience being a part of the Ikea India journey. I am extremely happy to leave the baton in the capable hands of Susanne,” said Peter Betzel. “Her determined and strong leadership is a great inspiration for many of us. I am confident that she will lead our strong value-based India team to make the Ikea vision a reality for many people.”

  • Ikea to open its first city store in Mumbai on 9 December

    Ikea to open its first city store in Mumbai on 9 December

    Mumbai: Swedish home furnishing retailer Ikea (part of the Ingka Group) will open the doors to its first city store in India at Worli here on 9 December, the company announced.

    The Worli City Store will span across 80,000 sq ft and is smaller than its traditional big box stores that typically spread across 400,000-500,000 sq ft. The city store format allows Ikea to be adapted to smaller spaces in an urban context and makes it more convenient for customers to experience the entire Ikea range based on a well-integrated digital and physical shopping experience, the company said in a statement.

    “This is an important milestone in our Mumbai journey. As the first city store in the country, we are coming near to more of the many people. This is a new concept for customers to shop with Ikea. They can enjoy an omnichannel shopping experience at this store, browse and order our entire range through various digital tools,” said Ikea Worli City Store India store manager Dawid Gałka on the occasion of the wordmark unveiling.

    “Currently, the whole team is working towards creating an excellent customer experience with all safe shopping measures in place when we open. We are looking forward to fulfilling home furnishing needs through a range of digital tools as well as the new city store format,” he added.

    As a part of promoting a safe shopping experience, customers who are looking forward to shop at IKEA Worli City Store, need to follow the latest COVID-19 guidelines by being fully vaccinated with two doses and should have completed 14 days after the second dose, shared the retailer.

    Currently, the home furnishing major has two stores in the country, its first one in Hyderabad which opened in August 2018 and the second in Navi Mumbai which opened in December 2020.