SJX Watches
Kari Voutilainen Steps Back at Urban Jürgensen
After four years leading the relaunch of Urban Jürgensen (UJ) alongside co-chief executive Alex Rosenfield, Kari Voutilainen is returning to the bench and dedicate his time to watchmaking and development, while Mr Rosenfeld will assume the role of sole chief executive. Despite this change, the relationship between Mr Voutilainen and UJ remains strong; he will still be involved, albeit in a more hands-off capacity as a shareholder, board member, and senior strategic advisor. From this vantage point, Mr Voutilainen, who has a long history with UJ, should retain substantial influence over the brand’s direction. Initial thoughts The news of Kari Voutilainen stepping back from day-to-day executive responsibilities at UJ seems natural, and was probably inevitable. Having gotten the relaunched brand into orbit, Mr Voutilainen is putting things in the hands of the team at UJ to carry on. Judging by the steady pace of deliveries so far this year, there’s plenty of reason to be optimistic about their capabilities. One reason this change seems natural is that it follows a similar move at Voutilainen earlier this month. Mr Voutilainen has been planning for the future and putting management teams in place to build a long-term business and free up more of his own capacity for working on new watches and movements. His daughter, Venla, is also stepping down from her role as chief operating officer at UJ in order to assist with the family business. Kari Voutilainen alongside recently ...
