Darina Garland and Kristian Tapaninaho
Chief Experience Officer & Co-founder and CEO & Co-founder, Ooni Pizza Ovens
Darina Garland and Kristian Tapaninaho are the Chief Experience Officer and CEO at Ooni Pizza Ovens, the world’s number 1 pizza oven company. Originally launched through a crowdfunding campaign, they created a brand new category of outdoor pizza ovens that fit in any outdoor space.
Ooni Pizza Ovens has grown from 7 people in 2017 to a team of over 80 employees, doing everything from design, sales and marketing in-house, across offices in Scotland, Germany and the USA.
Kristian and Darina are a husband-and-wife team who’ve worked on various businesses and projects together for almost 15 years. They met while studying photography in Rochester, Kent in 2004. They started their first company together straight out of University before going on to establish Ooni in 2012.
Kristian grew up in Finland in an entrepreneurial family. Working in the family business, running a supermarket, taught him the importance of hard work and customer service from a young age.
Darina grew up in Portobello in Edinburgh and cites herself as particularly passionate about people. As Chief Experience Officer, Darina not only oversees the entire Ooni Experience - including marketing, customers and Ooni’s Impact Fund charitable activities but also is integral in leading the development of a world-class brand and culture at the business, driven by an unparalleled ability to connect with people in a meaningful, human way.
