Marianne Barner

Marianne Barner is a champion of children’s rights. Her career in international business includes 20 years with IKEA. She joined IKEA as business leader for IKEA carpets and came to assume responsibility for issues related to the prevention of child labor. In the mid 1990s, Marianne took on the task of developing policies and methods to prevent child labour in IKEA’s supply chain. In close cooperation with Save the Children Sweden, UNICEF, trade unions, local NGOs, and leading experts – IKEA formulated its progressive policy standpoint stating that all actions must be taken “in the best interest of the child.” In 2006, Harvard Business School launched the case “IKEA’s Global Sourcing Challenge: Indian Rugs and Child Labor” that features Marianne as the case protagonist. This remains one of the most widely used CSR focused Harvard case studies in the world. Marianne retired from IKEA in 2013 and was appointed Chair of the Board of Plan International Sweden. She is also a board member of the Wanås Foundation, Sweden, and Senior Advisor to Global Child Forum, Stockholm. Marianne is a graduate of the Stockholm School of Economics.