SharkNinja, Inc. (NYSE: SN), a global product design and technology company, announced it has appointed Linus Karlsson as Executive Vice President, Chief Creative Officer, effective March 3. In this newly created role, Karlsson will take the helm of SharkNinja’s world-class creative team to lead brand storytelling and shape the company’s creative vision while advancing product communication and consumer engagement strategies. Karlsson joins SharkNinja with more than three decades of global experience in creative leadership, brand building, and marketing innovation, most recently serving as Chief Creative Officer for IKEA.
Karlsson will sit on SharkNinja’s executive leadership team working out of SharkNinja’s global headquarters in Needham, Mass., and its soon-to-open Creative Design Hub in New York City, a collaborative space dedicated to fostering innovation and creativity.
“At SharkNinja, our success is driven by an extraordinary team that turns bold ideas into breakthrough innovations, solving real consumer problems every day. Our ability to consistently bring category-defining products to market is powered by unbridled creativity, bold design, and storytelling that truly resonates with consumers,” said Mark Barrocas, CEO of SharkNinja. “With Linus at the helm of our world-class creative organization, we look forward to further enriching our breakthrough storytelling and unlocking new ways to connect with consumers globally. As a proven leader with a deep consumer-first mindset, Linus will blend storytelling, design, and consumer insights into compelling brand experiences to further accelerate our flywheel of innovation.”
During his tenure at IKEA, Karlsson led the company’s creative direction and strategy across product development and global marketing, integrating design, storytelling, and customer experience to strengthen brand positioning and drive engagement and visitation. Prior to IKEA, Karlsson held leadership roles at renowned creative agencies. As Chairman and Chief Creative Officer for McCann-Erickson’s global brands group, he oversaw creative strategies for Mastercard, Nespresso, and Chevrolet, managing the creative output of over 120 offices worldwide. At Crispin Porter + Bogusky, he delivered cutting-edge content solutions for clients such as Hershey’s, Domino’s, and Infiniti. Before that, he co-founded Mother New York, renowned for its innovative and unconventional approach to marketing, pioneering campaigns for brands like Target, Johnson & Johnson, and Stella Artois.
“The consumer sits at the heart of all that SharkNinja does – from product design to storytelling to marketing. This unwavering focus serves as a north star and generates a powerful connection between SharkNinja and its consumers globally,” noted Karlsson. “As SharkNinja continues its impressive growth journey, there is much opportunity ahead to bring the company’s Shark and Ninja brands to life in new ways. I am delighted to join SharkNinja’s talented team and look forward to working together to deepen the connection with consumers globally through consumer problem solving innovation and breakthrough storytelling.”
Karlsson has been recognized as one of the most influential creative executives in the industry. Named “The 10th most influential CMO in the world” by Forbes, “One of the 50 most influential people in Pop Culture” by RayGun Magazine and “The #1 most influential person in design and architecture” by Rum Magazine in Sweden, his expertise in branding, creative strategy, and consumer engagement has consistently driven business growth and brand transformation for some of the world’s most iconic brands.
Beyond his professional accomplishments, Karlsson has served on the boards of Queen Silvia of Sweden’s World Childhood Foundation, the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce, and Elanders Group, a publicly traded global logistics and supply chain company. Today, he serves as a permanent guest lecturer for the Master Students in Communications in Strategic Innovation at Stockholm University.
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