Kirsti Paakkanen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
12 February 1929[1]
Kirsti Paakkanen | |
|---|---|
 Kirsti and Jorma Paakkanen in 1951 | |
| Born | Kirsti Kaarina Poikonen 12 February 1929[1] |
| Died | 2 November 2021 (aged 92)[1] Espoo, Finland |
| Occupations | Entrepreneur and business executive |
| Known for | Owner and CEO of Marimekko |
| Spouse |
Jorma Paakkanen
(m. 1952; div. 1964) |
Kirsti Paakkanen (née Poikonen; 12 February 1929 — 2 November 2021)[2] was a Finnish entrepreneur and business executive.
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 as her successor; two years later Ihamuotila acquired her shares.[3][5]
