Swarovski collaborated with Hult Ashridge Executive Education to create the Leadership Academy, designed to increase leadership capability, develop organizational agility, address live issues, and drive lasting culture change. Today, the academy continues to help Swarovski’s future success as an autonomous family business.
Client story: Swarovski
Developing talent in a family business
A solution to enhance leadership capability and drive customer-focused collaboration
Our partnership
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Swarovski is a family business with 24,000 employees and more than 2,000 stores worldwide. In the last 15 years, the business has grown and shifted toward jewellery and using crystal in creative ways.
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"A new mindset and focus have been developed across the organization, with leaders who skillfully balance business and people while thriving in a complex, uncertain environment.”
Roland Moecke, EVP, Swarovski Goods Business
The challenge
Swarovski sought our support to develop stronger leadership capability, customer focus, innovation, and organizational agility, which is essential to reduce business risks and remain competitive. Specific challenges Swarovski wanted to tackle included:
Ensuring the continuation of its development as a sustainable business
Tempering competition
Critical business challenges such as global crystal production and digital selling platforms threatening its USP and revenues
Our solution and impact
Enhancing leadership capability to drive change-led business results
Working with 45 stakeholders across Swarovski, including family, C-Suite, functional managers, and potential program participants, we co-created their first-ever Leadership Architecture.
We developed five programs, with mindset and culture change at the center, and used unique components to challenge participants throughout the programs, e.g. sharing a meal in the dark.
The collaboration led to a strong and trusted partnership, with more than 250 leaders taking part in the Leadership Academy.
As a result of the work, leadership capability at Swarovski has developed significantly, with 45% of high potentials promoted to Head positions, and a 100% retention rate for top talent. This contributed to strengthening innovative ways of thinking based on collaboration, entrepreneurship and a strong customer focus.
Enhanced leadership capability
45% of high-potentials at Swarovski were promoted into Head positions, with a 100% retention rate for top talent.
Whole-organization impact
Program development and delivery involved the entire business, ensuring a top-down, bottom-up approach to drive change for success.
Continued success
The Leadership Academy continues to shape Swarovski’s future success as an autonomous family business.
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