The wait is finally over. In mid-June, the Board of Directors announced the appointment of Swarovski’s new CEO, Alexis Nasard. What’s his role? What makes him a leader? We’ve got it all here for you.
“Swarovski deserves a special place in the sun,” Alexis Nasard emphasizes in his first appearances as CEO, underscoring how he feels about our Brand and its history and the future of the company.
For Alexis, Swarovski is luxury, and it has all the qualities needed to be represented and, most importantly, successful in this segment. These are also two of the reasons why he is taking on the job. He loves the brand and the luxury market. This is complemented by his passion for product design and craftsmanship as well as his respect for values. “They serve as a compass for us to live a better life,” he explains, underlining his goal to uphold and bring together the company’s and the owner families’ values.
LEADERSHIP IS ABOUT SUBSTANCE
It therefore comes as no surprise that Alexis has defined his own intrinsic values too: justice, curiosity, loyalty, and aesthetic. They go hand in hand with his managerial philosophy, which includes not being distracted by false dilemmas, believing in in-house talent, celebrating success, teamwork, and maintaining discipline and processes, among other things. His ambitions for the company? Swarovski will be product-led, customer-inspired, and culturally relevant.
“If we’re not culturally relevant, we’re not luxury. We’re not part of the conversation. And we have to be part of the conversation.”
LUXURY IS A JOURNEY
The goal is defined. Now Alexis needs to delve deeper into the company as he shapes the new strategy together with the Executive Committee. He’ll combine his ideas and 30 years of experience in senior and executive positions with his duties as CEO at Swarovski. Luisa Delgado, Chair of the Board of Directors of Swarovski, summarized them briefly at the fourth town hall meeting. Alexis’s most important task is completing the transformation of Swarovski – as a brand that is firmly anchored in the luxury market – and to adapt the company’s business model along the full value chain to scale toward profitable growth. He’ll also lead the Wattens site, confirming its role as an innovative engine for the company and our products. In doing so, Alexis can build on the excellent work done in recent months by the teams at Swarovski and CCO Michele Molon, who led the company ad interim during an especially uncertain and challenging time.
A BUSINESS OF DREAMS
There are a few things that are particularly important to Alexis to find Swarovski’s previously mentioned place in the sun. Firstly, generating value. “We don’t just want to be a brand of dreams; we want to be a business of dreams. Businesses of dreams grow and are profitable,” he explains. What else? Product Is King! “Product Is King. The top five reasons that customers visit our stores are our products.” Thirdly, Customer Is Queen. We have to know our customers and our competition. “Otherwise, we’ll lose touch with the business and markets.” So, with all of this in mind, let’s do this. Together. As a company with one culture. “Because none of us is better than all of us.”