New York – Pandora has announced the hiring of a new Chief Human Resources Officer.
Byron Clayton will take up the role on 1 February.
Clayton previously served as deputy chief people officer at Ikea, which employs more than 170,000 people worldwide.
Prior to that, he held various human resources positions at Nokia, Microsoft, Maersk, AstraZeneca and Mercer.
A US citizen, Clayton currently resides in Copenhagen with his wife and two sons. His career has taken him to Singapore, Thailand, Finland and the UK.
He holds a master’s degree in strategy and leadership from London Business School and a bachelor’s degree in human resources and psychology from the University of North Texas.
Clayton will report to Pandora CEO Alexander Lacik and will be a member of the company’s executive leadership team.
“Byron’s impressive resume spans multiple industries and geographies, and he has a great understanding of how to connect HR with business needs,” said Lacik.
“He has a proven ability to build strong organisations in complex environments, and his recent experience at Ikea – an affordable global retail brand that appeals to a mass market audience – is highly relevant to Pandora. I look forward to welcoming him to the team.
Clayton said, “Pandora is one of the biggest brands in the Nordics, with a strong global presence and products that touch millions of consumers every day. The company has very exciting opportunities ahead of it and I am thrilled to be joining at this time”.
He replaces Erik Schmidt, who joined Pandora in 2019 and is now retiring.
“Erik has been instrumental in shaping the Pandora organisation for our growth journey, and I would like to express my sincere gratitude for his contributions. After more than 30 years in the business, Erik has decided to retire from corporate life and I wish him all the best in his next chapter,” said Lacik.
