130 YEARS OF CRAFTSMANSHIP
Where do you direct your energy and your motivation ? I really love work that’s done by hand and value it very highly. Looking at what we can achieve here at Elite at our level is quite simply extraordinary. That’s what motivates me: creating beautiful, durable products with noble materials that are backed by genuine research. I love the concept of conscientious handiwork, too. Bespoke work is a magnificent undertaking; it’s a kind of haute couture. At the end of the day, what we offer to our customers is right in step with my own values. I like the idea of supporting them in a very personal way; it’s a far cry from the remote approach adopted by superstore brands for mass consumer products. Your father is Elite’s current CEO. How do you see our own role ? Do you experience some sort of psychological need to kill off your father ?! Not at all! I love working with him and I’m learning a lot from him. Pushing him out the door is the last thing on my mind. I’m in no hurry; things will happen naturally. Today, we have a robust management team with Philippe Labouchère (COO), Julien Buff (CFO) and Lara Santacroce (Head of HR). We’re all complementary in how we grow the company as I take on management tasks. How do you see your role with respect to the management team ? I go wherever the company needs me: store relations, production, marketing, and development projects for new markets. I aim to take a pragmatic approach, going into the field, understanding needs, and making connections as I tell others about the firm and help it move forward. You’re currently serving as communications officer. Can you tell us something about strategy ? Our communication strategy has always been holistic, focusing on sleep itself; we aren’t simply in the business
of selling mattresses and beds. Our mission is to help our customers sleep well; bed systems are one of the factors in a good night’s sleep, but not the only one. We’re enabling the public to be better-informed about the importance of sleep in health and wellbeing, something most people were not very aware of even ten years ago. Our magazine, blogs and special events are an opportunity to pass on advice, work with experts and explain that sleeping well is part of a whole lifestyle encompassing nutrition, sport, meditation and more besides. You’re a member of Elite SA’s board of directors. Have you undergone specific training for that ? Yes, in addition to my legal studies I did two courses at the Swiss Board School to help me develop practical skills, especially in minute-taking, and find out more about the strategic role of a board of directors. I hope I’ll still be able to rely on him for a few years yet, and that will give me time to acquire the other skills I need; I still have a lot to learn. This gradual learning process, accompanied by people who are skilled in their field, offers reassurance. We’re a team of movers and shakers: we’ll go a long way together. Are you apprehensive about your father retiring ? What’s your vision of Elite ? Expanding the firm without compromising our values: artisanal knowhow, attention to detail, and noble materials. My models are companies like Hermès: a historic institution that’s managed to preserve its artisanal ethos whilst growing internationally. The more an entity grows, the greater the tendency to industrialise processes. Everything at Elite is still done in traditional fashion to deliver high-quality, durable products.
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