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 tell
us about your experience with the Richemont Group.
I worked with the Richemont Group for 15 years at different
positions, with different brands and in different parts of the world.
I began in 1990 as a Sales and Marketing Manager for Piaget and
Baumé & Mercier. My home country, the Netherlands and
other Scandinavian countries fell under my purview.
In 1998, I moved to the United States as Vice President, Marketing,
Baumé & Mercier. A year later, I was promoted as President
for North America. In 2004, I concluded my experience with Richemont,
and began my stint as President for Ebel worldwide in January 2005.
My time at Richemont has been extremely productive — working with
different brands in different countries exposed me to different
cultures. It helped me understand the luxury watch business.
 why
did you move to Ebel?
While in the United States, I found that the Movado Group was
looking for someone who had the experience and understood the American
market. It was crucial to Ebel’s success. After working with Richemont
for 15 years, I felt the need for change. Moreover, the opportunity
for me to become President for Ebel worldwide was too good to pass
up.
 Managing
a luxury brand for a single market is different as compared to managing
it on a worldwide scale. With the latter, you are at the source
and you create rather than execute. Having been in the business
for 15 years, I have had the opportunity to observe Ebel during
this time. In the last decade, Ebel did face some difficulties with
the change in ownership and subsequent changes in direction. However,
it is a strongly-positioned brand with a clear identity and overall
potential.
What are the challenges that you faced on joining a new company?
When I joined Ebel, the main challenge was ‘time’. The watch
industry in totality had strongly developed in the last five years
and Ebel needed to accelerate its growth to make up lost grounds
in momentum and product development.
Since joining Ebel, what are the changes that you’ve initiated?
 When
Ebel changed ownership in 2004, the first objective was to reposition
and rebuild the brand in accordance with its foundation. We called
this exercise ‘Back to the Roots’. Basically, we redesigned all
of our existing iconic collections to incorporate very distinctive
Ebel qualities, which are softness, comfort, beauty and recognition.
So, we revamped our collections and reintroduced the ‘Architects
of Time’. Every aspect of our marketing programme represents the
spirit of Ebel. In 2005, we decided to reintroduce the foundation
of Ebel. This year, we infused freshness — in the luxury market,
newness translates into excitement and we needed that element. However,
one can’t introduce innovation without establishing a strong foundation.
As a result, we did some restructuring and spent considerable time
putting in place a dynamic team.
what was the response to Ebel’s ‘Back to the Roots’ campaign?
In 2004 at Basel, we communicated to our retailers and the
press about the updated iconic collections. In spring 2006, we launched
the Brasilia line and presented Gisele Bundchen as our ambassadress.
Gisele who is an international supermodel reflects the values of
Ebel — elegance, sophistication, energy, sexiness and glamour. This
was our effort to reach out to a younger demographic and to continue
to cater to a more mature audience.
What aspects of the Brasilia timepiece will appeal to the Indian
consumer?
It’s a beautiful watch (smiles), soft, sensual and really distinct
with its attention to detail. In India, most of the luxury watch
brands are geared towards men. While, we do have a men’s collection,
around 85 per cent of our business comes from ladies’ watches. Ebel
is positioned as a ladies’ brand and the Brasilia is positioned
as a ladies luxury’ diamond watch. More importantly, it is a great
alternative to some of the other established brands here. If you
look at our heydays, which were the 80s and early 90s, Ebel enjoyed
a balanced image in terms of watches for both men and women. Today,
Ebel is known as a ladies’ brand. For the future, we want to offer
a balanced collection that caters to both men and women.
What are your plans for the future for Asia and especially India?
To give you some perspective, a third of our business is done
in America, a third in Europe and a third in the Middle East and
Asia. We operate in more than 60 countries and can be considered
as a truly international brand. An emerging market like Southeast
Asia and especially India is very important for us. It offers amazing
potential. We want to be a part of that, early in the game. Although
the Indian market is very limited, it does possess a huge potential
because of the development of wealth. There is a strong interest
in luxury products that have a history and legitimacy to it. With
Ebel’s rich history and identity, it is bound to appeal to the discerning
Indian consumer.
With so many luxury brands vying for attention, what distinguishes
Ebel from the rest?
Ebel is an alternative to some of the more established brands.
Our timepieces are understated, elegant and luxurious. It is for
the buyer who is looking for something different in terms of quality
and design.
What are Ebel’s future projects?
We want to maintain a clearly-defined product strategy, one
that is based on four pillars. One of those pillars is the Brasilia
Collection. The second pillar refers to the Beluga, a round-shaped
jewelled watch. The third pillar is what Ebel is renowned for, the
Ebel Classic timepiece. The last pillar refers to the Sportwave
for men, a contemporary interpretation of the 1986 model. It has
a sporty look with a classic edge that is easily recognisable. Every
year in Basel, we introduce new watches rather than collections.
This is because too many collections tend to confuse people about
the company and its image.
Where do you see Ebel in the next 10 years?
Ebel will continue to develop as a leading Swiss luxury watch
brand building on its strong heritage under a unique signature —
The Architects of Time.
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