Ikea names new CEO to lead Asia expansion

Ikea Group named Jesper Brodin, currently responsible for the development of the Swedish furniture retailer’s product range and supply chain, as chief executive officer after Peter Agnefjall decided to step down.

Brodin, a 48-year old former assistant to Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad who has worked at the maker of the Billy bookcase and Klippan sofa for 22 years, will take up the new role on September 1, Ikea said in a statement yesterday. He is currently managing director of the Ikea of Sweden unit and will move to Leiden in the Netherlands, where Ikea has its headquarters, from Almhult in Sweden, where it opened its first store in 1958 and has its Swedish base.

Brodin will take over the helm of a furniture and retail empire with 348 stores, 45 shopping centres and 140,000 employees in 28 countries. During Agnefjall’s almost five-year tenure, Ikea expanded its presence in China, began a push into India and honed its online offering. That strategy won’t change under Brodin, Ikea Chairman Lars-Johan Jarnheimer said in an interview.

“The strategic direction that the company has remains in place, and even if Jesper will mold it, he has been part of the development of the strategy together with Peter in his previous role on the management team,” Jarnheimer said.

Brodin started at Ikea in 1995 and has since then worked in purchasing, product-range development, logistics and group management and spent time in locations from Pakistan and China to Denmark and Sweden.