8.5.14 | Helsinki, Finland | We are proud to announce Marianne Goebl has been appointed Artek’s new Global Managing Director, following Mirkku Kullberg who will now head Vitra Home and take over the presidency of Artek's Board of Directors. Goebl brings more than a decade of experience at the intersection of design culture and commerce, most recently as Director of Design Miami/ and Design Miami/ Basel, where she served from 2011 to 2014. From 2001 to 2011, she worked at Vitra, where she significantly contributed to new initiatives such as the Vitra Home Collection, the Vitra Edition and the VitraHaus, collaborating with leading designers and architects, including Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, Konstantin Grcic, Zaha Hadid, Herzog & de Meuron, Hella Jongerius, and Jasper Morrison, among others.

“I am honored and excited to join Artek, one of the most relevant and innovative contributors to modern design, at this decisive stage,” says Goebl. “I look forward to further developing this unique project on an international level, building upon its extraordinary design legacy with due respect to Artek’s status as a Finnish national treasure.”

Rolf Fehlbaum, Chairman Emeritus of Vitra, explains the new structure: “Mirkku Kullberg has done such a great job for Artek that Vitra's board asked her to head Vitra’s new home division. Mirkku, however, would not accept the position if the right person could not be found to lead Artek. This person was found in Marianne Goebl, who had been a highly appreciated design and communication manager with Vitra before becoming the director of the Design Miami/ fair. I am very happy that Marianne is back and will dedicate her extraordinary energy and experience to the Artek project and equally happy that Mirkku is now in charge of Vitra Home, a division which will strongly contribute to Vitra's growth in the coming years.”

About Artek

In the radical spirit of its founders, Artek is in the vanguard of creating future paths within and between the disciplines of design, architecture and art. Artek has been a pioneer of ethical design since 1935. The cornerstones of Artek’s strategy are ethics, aesthetics and ecology. In Artek, this translates into high quality, timeless icons and tomorrow’s archetypes in humane design. The core of Artek's product range consists of furniture and lamps designed by Alvar Aalto and the furniture collection of Ilmari Tapiovaara. In accordance with its current portfolio strategy, Artek has extended its collection to respond to the ever growing demand. In autumn 2013, Artek signed a cooperation contract with Yrjö Kukkapuro and launched small interior design objects by Kaj Franck. In September 2013, Artek passed into the ownership of Vitra AG.

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