Pandora shares fall after news of CEO change. What do investors need to know?

Shares in Danish jewelry giant Pandora fell 3.5% after it announced that CEO Alexander Lacic will leave in March 2026. Marketing director Berta de Pablos-Barbier will take his place and will be the first woman to lead the company. During Lacic's tenure, Pandora's capitalization grew at an average annual rate of 23%, but it has lost 37% since the start of 2025 amid weak sales in Europe, rising commodity prices and U.S. duties.

Pandora shares were down 3.5% at the open of trading on Sept. 30 following the announcement that CEO Alexander Lacic will step down in March 2026. At the time of writing, the securities were down about 1.8%.

Lacic's successor will be chief marketing officer Berta de Pablos-Barbier. She is the only woman among Pandora's eight top executives and joined Pandora in November 2024 as a potential CEO candidate, but investors did not expect the change to happen so quickly, Reuters notes .

De Pablos-Barbier has extensive experience in luxury and consumer brands, having served as president and CEO of LVMH's Moët & Chandon, Dom Pérignon and Mercier divisions, worked at Lacoste, and headed marketing at jewelry house Boucheron.

Lacic has been at the helm of Pandora since 2019. De Pablos-Barbier said she will continue his strategy of growing the company beyond its traditional focus on charm bracelets and into a full-fledged jewelry brand.

During the six and a half years of the outgoing CEO's tenure, Pandora shares rose an average of 23% a year, while the average for competitors was about 11%, according to Bloomberg data. At the same time, the company's securities have lost 37% since the beginning of 2025 amid weak demand in Europe, rising commodity prices and U.S. import duties, Reuters points out .

RBC Capital Markets estimates that Lacic's departure is "likely to have a further negative impact on Pandora's investment case amid current demand volatility". The broker reiterated a neutral sector perform rating and a target price of DKK900, writes Investing.com. RBC said Pandora's earnings remain "fairly resilient amid an uncertain macroeconomic and consumer environment" and management actions remain "consistent and proactive."

Over the past year, the company has already raised prices on its products three times worldwide, and is also taking cost-cutting measures to maintain profitability, emphasizes The Wall Street Journal. In addition, Pandora has changed its distribution system: jewelry is now shipped directly to Canada and Latin America, bypassing the U.S. to reduce pressure from import duties.

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor