116 | theceomagazine.com
A charming
experience
MOVING FROM THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, PANDORA
ASIA–PACIFIC PRESIDENT KENNETH MADSEN IS NOW
MAKING STRIDES IN THE JEWELLERY BUSINESS.WORDS SHARON MASIGE • IMAGES PANDORA ASIA–PACIFICW
hat do the lion, the giraffe and the bumblebee have in common?
At jewellery company, Pandora – known for its extensive range of
collectable bracelet charms – they represent the company’s values.
Asia-Pacific President Kenneth Madsen explains the reasoning
behind this, saying the lion, for example, represents teamwork.
“Lions always hunt in a pack and depend on each other to
survive,” he tells The CEO Magazine. “We are stronger when we work as a team.
This idea of us being together as a pride and as a team is deeply rooted at Pandora.
Everyone on our team is exceedingly important.”
Kenneth adds that a pride relies on trust and communication, which are traits
also encouraged at the company. “The lion is very quick at picking up signals from
its pack, and navigating when they are on the hunt, and that’s the same with Pandora,”
he says. “We try to listen to each other and act accordingly.”
Next is the giraffe, which has the biggest heart of all land mammals. Thus, it
symbolises the passion the team bring to their roles. “We try to have a big heart in
everything we do,” Kenneth continues. “We care about people – their future and their
families – and we care about the environment and the carbon footprint we leave behind.”
Finally, there is the bumblebee. “There’s an oft-repeated ‘fact’ that the bumblebee
shouldn’t be able to fly because it’s too big for its wings,” Kenneth says, “but that it
doesn’t know this and flies anyway. While that’s not strictly true, the bumblebee analogy
for us represents performance and a can-do attitude. We are very active and we get things
done. Even though people tell us we can’t fly, we do it anyway.” »