Maiju Niskanen -Chief Offering & Experience Officer

Maiju wants to listen to her customers with a sensitive ear and delight them with beauty

Chief Offering & Experience Officer Maiju Niskanen’s work involves following megatrends and phenomena in fashion, beauty and home. Customers are increasingly interested in sustainability and premium products. Maiju, known for her fashion sense, hops on her bike on her holiday and packs a few nice outfits.

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What do you do at Stockmann and how did you end up working here?

My responsibilities cover fashion, home and beauty categories, new business models, store design and management of customer experience development. Previously, I was Category Director for women’s fashion and in charge of fashion and accessories strategy and assortment development. All in all, I have worked for Stockmann and Lindex for more than 20 years.

What is the best thing about your job?

People – customers as well as colleagues. I enjoy making people happy with beauty. I have always been into fashion, so for me work is also a hobby and a source of inspiration. My job also allows me to be involved in predicting the future, as collections are bought in months before they are in season.

Could you share with us something surprising that your colleagues don’t know about you?

I spend my summer holiday on my bike. This summer, I cycled with my husband from Geneva to Nice, and we got to cycle up and down hills in the Alps. I have a heavy touring bike, so pedalling is really hard work and I don’t usually pack light – I always have some nice outfits with me. My dream route would take me along the west coast of the United States.

Your most memorable moment at Stockmann?

Various customer events, such as the opening of the Turku department store in autumn 2023 after its renovation and the opening of the Riga department store in the early 2000s. We also do Live Shopping events and our first Instagram livestreaming was truly memorable. We shot it in a fitting room and were a bit nervous because we were bringing something completely new to Finland. Since then, we’ve improved quite a bit and we have a lot of customers who watch every single livestream.

How to wow customers?

By listening to your customer’s needs with a sensitive ear. We do lots of research into what customers want, and we also follow the megatrends and current phenomena in fashion, beauty and home. For example, we have expanded our range of sustainable products and added Finnish and Nordic brands to respond to customers’ wishes. We also want to offer more premium and luxury products, and this is already well underway.