Ikea retailer Ingka Group’s leadership accelerator programme delivers youngest ever Market Managers

Ingka Group, the largest Ikea retailer, recently marked the graduation of 73 participants from its flagship Bloom leadership development programme. Launched three years ago, Bloom has fast-tracked the development of these co-workers toward Market Manager positions – the roles that manage Ikea stores and customer journeys on and offline.

Bloom was introduced to accelerate a more diverse and agile leadership pipeline at Ingka Group, with the aim of ensuring fresh perspectives are introduced at leadership level. The programme is designed to nurture, develop, and accelerate participants into Market Manager roles through a mix of training, on the job experience, and mentorship.

Bloom targets co-workers who are right at the start of their Ikea career, and therefore perhaps not yet identified as leadership potential.

Several Bloomers have already stepped into key roles as Market Managers. These new appointments include the youngest ever Market Managers in Sweden, Norway and France, Calle, Thea, and Solene respectively. The latter led the opening of Ikea’s newest city store in Paris earlier this year.

Thea from Ikea Norway says: “Bloom has set me up for success, through putting me far out of my comfort zone, but also providing a safety net to fall back on to if needed.”

Younes, from Ikea Germany, adds: “Bloom means for me that people were there and believed in me and encouraged development through the empowerment of real responsibilities. For me Bloom was not about what you get, but about what you become.”

Of the 73 Bloomers who joined together in Sweden this week for their programme graduation, 61% identify as female, and 33 nationalities from 22 markets are represented. The average age of the graduating cohort is just 28, significantly younger than the company wide average of 47 for Market Managers.

Ulrika Biesèrt, Chief People & Culture Officer, says: “Building a diverse workforce is crucial for a thriving, innovative organisation. Programmes like Bloom are essential to ensure a strong succession pipeline and empower future leaders from all backgrounds, helping us stay relevant and resilient in an ever evolving market.”

Bloom OMNI

Ingka Group will next launch Bloom OMNI, a condensed and more targeted version of the original programme.

Bloom OMNI aims to develop around 60 new leaders across ten markets to be ready for retail leader roles, in the food, digital, sales, customer fulfilment and home furnishing retail and design (HFRD) functions.

It will continue to provide a network, mentorship, learning content, and Bloomer development events, but in addition participants will learn in the role by doing a rotation of specific roles across both stores and offices to prepare them for their future leadership roles.

Biesèrt says: “Like the original Bloom, the purpose of OMNI is to identify talents that are not already in succession pipelines and bring more diversity into leadership. I congratulate our first cohort of Bloom graduates; our business is in good hands.”