Swiss furniture brand Vitra has appointed Claudio Marconi, formerly at IKEA, as CEO and named Marianne Goebl, formerly at Artek, as creative director.

Goebl had previously worked at Vitra, most recently as the head of international PR and partnerships in 2011, before joining design fair Design Miami as its director.

New hires have both previously worked at Vitra

Since 2014, Goebl has held roles at Finnish manufacturer Artek, most recently as its president of the board of directors. According to Vitra, her work at Artek "helped shape the brand's internationally recognised creative and cultural profile".

Marconi has worked for Swedish furniture brand IKEA since 2001, most recently as its head of supply chain development and digital. However, he also held a freelance role at Vitra as operations committee lead between 2023 and 2026.

He has "extensive international experience in transformation, operations and innovation," Vitra said.

The company hopes the two new hires will mark a new chapter for Vitra.

"Together with the Vitra teams, they will guide the company into its next chapter – continuing to connect business, design and culture in close dialogue with Vitra's global community," it said in a statement.

Vitra known for its designer collaborations and campus

Vitra has worked with a number of well-known designers and architects, most recently Konstantin Grcic, who designed a new flexible table system for offices named Scout for the company.

Last year, it teamed up with German luggage manufacturer Rimowa to make a toolbox and mobile storage stool informed by the companies' "mutual use of aluminium".

Vitra is also known for its Vitra Campus, which features buildings by a number of renowned architects.

Its most recent addition is the last building designed by the late Indian architect Balkrishna Doshi, which has a snake-like form crafted from weathered steel.

The photography is by Pati Grabowicz.