Kirsti Paakkanen

Kirsti Paakkanen
Kirsti and Jorma Paakkanen in 1951
Born
Kirsti Kaarina Poikonen

(1929-02-12)12 February 1929[1]
Saarijärvi, Finland
Died2 November 2021(2021-11-02) (aged 92)[1]
Espoo, Finland
Occupation(s)Entrepreneur and business executive
Known forOwner and CEO of Marimekko
Spouse
Jorma Paakkanen
​
​
(m. 1952; div. 1964)​
[1]

Kirsti Paakkanen (née Poikonen; 12 February 1929 — 2 November 2021)[2] was a Finnish entrepreneur and business executive.

Career

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 [fi] as her successor; two years later Ihamuotila acquired her shares.[3][5]

Honours and awards

In 1999, Paakkanen was appointed Yrittäjäneuvos (lit. 'Entrepreneur Counselor') by the President of Finland.[2]

In 2002, she was awarded the Estlander Medal [fi] 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

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Paakkanen, Kirsti (1929-2021)". Kansallisbiografia.fi (in Finnish). National Biography of Finland. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "Kirsti Paakkanen - Marimekon pelastaja" [Kirsti Paakkanen - Saviour of Marimekko] (in Finnish). Yle. 17 April 2008. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "Paakkanen, Kirsti". Uppslagsverket.fi (in Swedish). Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  4. ^ "Mainostoimisto Womena-McCann Oy" (in Finnish). Kauppalehti. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ "Marimekko's bid for world domination". The Guardian. 20 September 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2022.

Further reading

  • 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