MajorsJun 30, 2020
Swarovski Latest to Announce Job Cuts, Slashing 600 PositionsMajorsDec 23, 2021
Nadja Swarovski Steps Down
She will leave the family business at the end of the month but remain involved with the Swarovski Foundation.
Nadja Swarovski speaking at Web Summit 2018. She will step down from her role at Swarovski at the end of the year. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Web Summit)
London—Nadja Swarovski will step down from her role in the family business at the end of the year.
After 26 years with the company, she will “start a new chapter in her career,” according to a joint press release from Nadja Swarovski and the board of Swarovski International Holding.
“I am deeply grateful for the experience of working in my family’s business and in particular very closely with my father, Helmut Swarovski, who taught me so much,” she said.
She is the great-great-granddaughter of company founder Daniel Swarovski.
“My time at the Swarovski company has been the most rewarding journey – what started with creativity and design has culminated in human empowerment and sustainability, and using Swarovski’s platform to support the environment and the community has been the greatest privilege of my career.”
She joined the company in 1995, becoming the first female member on the executive board.
Acting as the public face of the company for years, she is also credited with directing Swarovski’s brand and sustainability strategies.
In 2007, she created Atelier Swarovski, a jewelry, accessories, and home decor line that touts its sustainability focus.
Under her watch, lab-grown diamonds and fair-trade metals were added to the line.
“Nadja’s perhaps greatest legacy to Swarovski are the strides that the company has taken in sustainability and ethics under her skillful direction. We are grateful for her continued involvement in the Swarovski Foundation, that is an important pillar of the sustainability commitment of the Swarovski business and family,” said Markus Langes-Swarovski, a family member and member of the board of directors.
She also orchestrated collaborations between Swarovski and well-known figures like Christopher Kane, Victor & Rolf, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Karl Lagerfeld.
“Collaborating with so many remarkable individuals globally in fashion, jewelry, architecture and beyond has been incredibly fulfilling and I’m thankful for these everlasting relationships,” she said.
She also supported up-and-coming talent through the Swarovski Collective initiative.
In 2013, she established the Swarovski Foundation, which she will still be involved in after her departure, as per the press release.
“It is with deep gratitude that we acknowledge Nadja’s indelible imprint on the business. Her contribution over the years has been decisive in bringing Swarovski to the forefront of the fashion industry,” said Luisa D. Delgado, chair of the board of directors of Swarovski International.
Nadja Swarovski’s departure follows about two years of management shake-up at the family business.
Swarovski first announced a restructuring in May 2020, which included appointing Robert Buchbauer, also a great-great-grandchild of the company's founder, as CEO.
This October, Buchbauer stepped down and Mathias Margreiter, fellow board member and Swarovski family member, stepped down as chief financial officer.
Nadja Swarovski had stepped away from her role at that time but remained on the executive board.
The company is still on the lookout for a CEO and CFO and, though a mostly family-run business, it said it is open to putting outsiders in the roles.
Swarovski’s board recently welcomed five non-family members.
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