Darina Garland is the Co-Founder of Ooni, the trailblazing product business best known for its innovative pizza ovens and, more recently, the Halo Pro Spiral Mixer, designed for bakers and dough lovers. Founded in 2012, Ooni has built a global following that includes fans such as Barack Obama, Beyoncé and Dolly Parton. Headquartered in Edinburgh, the company now operates across the USA, Australia, Germany, China and Sweden, supported by a global team and community.
Darina grew up in Edinburgh and met her co-founder, Kristian Tapaninaho, while studying at university. Passionate about people, teams and community, she recently transitioned from CEO to an active founder role focused on purpose and community engagement.
Her career has centred on connecting people to drive change. Before Ooni, she founded Suklaa, a business focused on transforming global education through innovation and creativity. She sees creativity as problem solving — the same mindset that inspired Ooni’s mission to make truly great pizza at home accessible to everyone.
Alongside building a successful global brand, Darina is committed to supporting other entrepreneurs and business leaders. While Ooni has received multiple awards for product design and growth, she is proudest of the company’s world-class employee engagement scores and team culture. She also serves on the advisory board for Edinburgh Business School and is a Key Advisor to the Pathways initiative, which supports women in entrepreneurship.