Pandora Promotes GM to Chief of Retail Operations
Massimo Basei is moving up, while Chief Commercial Officer Martino Pessina is stepping down.

In addition, Pandora said Monday that Chief Commercial Officer Martino Pessina is stepping down, and all nine market clusters now will report directly to CEO Alexander Lacik.
Basei will report to Lacik as well and serve on the jewelry company’s executive leadership team. His promotion will be effective April 1.
Sara Bergiotti, currently sales director of Pandora’s Southern Europe, Middle East and Africa cluster, will take over as general manager.
Pandora said the change is part of its two-year restructuring plan, dubbed “Phoenix,” which includes moving its North American headquarters to New York from Baltimore, among other changes.
Pandora said after implementing operational changes it is now “turning its attention outwards to further accelerate brand desire as well as delivering a world-class customer experience.”
As chief of retail operations, Basei will be responsible for heading operations across the company’s 6,500 points of sale in more than 100 markets. This will include opening new stores, managing relationships with franchisees, the omnichannel experience, store development and merchandising.
“I am happy Massimo will take the role as chief of retail operations,” Lacik said. “Over the past 13 years, he has established Italy as one of Pandora’s largest markets and built an exceptionally strong position for the brand.
“I thank Martino for taking our retail operations … forward by expanding our store network and evolving our omnichannel approach.”
Basei is an Italian national who joined Pandora as country manager for Italy in 2010. Since then, he has taken on additional responsibility, leading commercial operations across Southern Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
He currently lives in Milan, Italy, with his wife and three children. They will relocate to Copenhagen later in the year.
Basei holds a master’s in economics from Università degli Studi di Trieste.
The Latest

This year, it’s what could happen outside of show hours that worries JSA Executive Vice President Scott Guginsky.

High-end fashion houses know how to emotionally connect with customers online. Retail jewelers should take note, Emmanuel Raheb writes.

The designers are the third cohort of mentees from the show’s Belonging @ Couture mentorship program.

As gold prices rise, today’s retailers are looking for alternatives at prices that will appeal to wider audiences.

Buying discipline at trade shows starts with clarity about your inventory levels, Smith writes.


The trade show’s education series returns, with sessions on retail trends, AI, watches, marketing, corporate responsibility, and more.

The Curated Designer Project has expanded to highlight eight independent jewelry designers during CBG’s Las Vegas show.

With the trade and customer trust in mind, GIA® developed NextGem™ – on-demand training designed specifically for retail.

Bring a cool tone to your summer jewelry with these white metal pieces.

The deal closed this week, which means Instore will produce the JA NY show slated to take place this fall.

The company’s jewelry sales were up in Q4 and the fiscal year, with Richemont raising prices in part because of the cost of gold.

The “Bauble” capsule collection of colorful one-of-a-kinds includes our Piece of the Week, the “Bauble” earrings, featuring rose zircon.

Everett covers colored stones’ surging popularity, the mellow return of the “Mellon Blue,” and his “The Devil Wears Prada” doppelgänger.

Fourth-generation CEO Lilly Mullen wants to emphasize experience, connection, and personalized service.

The new award, created in partnership with Henne Jewelers, honors the late designer’s legacy through supporting jewelry education.

The addition of the diamond-producing countries as nation affiliated members broadens the federation’s global representation, WFDB said.

The NYPD is warning elderly New Yorkers to keep their jewelry hidden when walking outside to avoid being a target.

Designer Viviana Langhoff has realized her dream of owning a space for her Chicago jewelry store that looks and feels like her brand.

The sessions will run from Friday, May 29, to Sunday, May 31, with one being a live taping of an episode of Couture’s podcast.

Former Stephanie Gottlieb Fine Jewelry executive Morgan P. Richardson is joining the lab-grown diamond jewelry brand.

The $400 pocket watch is a blend of Audemars Piguet’s iconic eight-sided Royal Oak and Swatch’s unserious Pop watches from the ‘80s.

With gold prices on the rise, the “Modern Electrum” collection uses an alternative, non-tarnishing metal alloy composed of gold and silver.

Fruchtman Marketing has new owners, Erin Moyer-Carballea and Manuel Carballea, and will relocate to Miami.

In a column for the 2026 State of the Majors issue, Smith lists 10 time-tested principles about sales that still ring true.

In a column for the 2026 State of the Majors issue, Golan spells out how the growing economic divide in the U.S. is reshaping the market.

The “Limitless Expansion of Joy and Hope” collection evokes summer through colored gemstones and motifs of butterflies and florals.

The jewel, circa 1890, is from the late Victorian era and was owned by descendants of the last high king of Ireland.



























