View all newsletters
Latest in Luxury - Sign up to our weekly newsletter
  1. Style
  2. Watches
February 4, 2013updated Aug 22, 2013

Ulysse Nardin CEO on Succeeding & Succession

By Chris Boyle

Patrik Hoffmann

Just down from the Four Seasons walking towards the Mandarin Oriental on the Rhone River Ulysse Nardin in January was the latest haute Swiss watch brand to open its own boutique in Geneva.

Naturally on opening day CEO Patrik Hoffmann was there greeting customers, guests and press. It’s a day that many may have thought would never come after the sudden passing of longtime owner and CEO Rolf W. Schnyder in April 2011. However, Schnyder’s long time deputy Hoffmann has kept the brand buzzing.

I asked Hoffmann how he kept the momentum going during after such a traumatic event.

“We were in a lucky position. Many times when a company brings in a new CEO they have to completely turn the wheel. We didn’t have to do that because the company was there, the management was there, I was there, so the continuity was relatively easy because if you take over a healthy company, which has a direction already, then everything is already there. We had movement productions and developments for movements that wouldn’t be out for another five, six, seven years. These were things that were already on the drawing board, and though we put new things on the drawing board they were only adjustments. It was evolution.”

Hoffmann graciously sat for a Leaders in Luxury interview which we will be posting soon.

Content from our partners
W New York - Times Square: "We Do Things Differently"
The Finest Destinations to Fly Private with Qatar Executive
A Weekend Travel Guide to Austin, Texas

Topics in this article :
Select and enter your email address Be the first to know about the latest in luxury lifestyle. Get the latest news on hotel openings and in-depth travel guides. Get insider access to exclusive promotions and special offers from our luxury partners.
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thank you for subscribing to Elite Traveler.

Websites in our network