Swedish furniture retailer IKEA has for the first time appointed a woman as chief executive officer for its India operations. Susanne Pulverer will replace Peter Betzel as IKEA’s CEO and chief sustainability officer in India.
The role of CEO will be the third stint for Pulverer in India, news agency PTI reported. "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,” Pulverer said. “India is a prioritised market for the Ingka group."
Pulverer praised her predecessor for his work in India. “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," she was quoted as saying by PTI.
Pulverer began her association with IKEA as an environmental manager. She worked as the company’s MD of communications from May 2011 to August 2016 in Sweden, according to her LinkedIn profile.
From August 2017 to March 2019, she was in Bengaluru as the local community leader for IKEA India. Pulverer then moved to Netherlands to take up the role of business risk and compliance manager for the Ingka Group, which owns most of the IKEA stores across the world.
IKEA had opened its first retail store in India in 2018. It is situated in Hyderabad. After that, it launched two large-format stores in Navi Mumbai and a city store in Mumbai.
IKEA has infused Rs 850 crore in its Indian unit to take forward its expansion plans.
(With inputs from PTI)
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