highlights


Joanna Gribben – Director of the ‘Lange Academy’ at A. Lange & Söhne

Pусский
November 2008


Following the success of Europa Star’s ‘80th Anniversary Portraits’ column that we ran in 2007, we have decided to feature an exceptional portrait section in this issue as part of our special glamour section. The particularity about these portraits is that there isn’t a man among them. From Germany to Japan, Italy to Australia, France to the United States and the United Kingdom to Switzerland, there are some incredible women moving and shaking the watch business. Europa Star’s network of international correspondents decided to talk with some of the industry’s most talented women to find out how they have succeeded in the male dominated world of horology.

Joanna Gribben is young, competent, charming, attractive and modest. Her outstanding competence, talent for languages and organizational skills have taken her to the head of A. Lange & Söhne’s Academy where foreign watchmakers and sales people are trained to be experts in the Glaschütte watch manufacturer’s high-end products.
“I came to Germany right after I had finished my studies in Belfast” says Gribben, who grew up in Northern Ireland. “I worked at the VIP-Customer Care department of Daimler-Chrysler, where I stayed for one year”, she shares “I was always interested in mechanical instruments. Since I was a child, I dismantled things in order to understand them”.
No wonder, that she was drawn to an advertisement from A. Lange & Söhne, Germany’s most prestigious brand for mechanical watches, who were looking for an employee with Joanna’s skills. There was no question mark about whether the company should employ her.
In 2005, while Joanna was working in the Lange events and marketing department, she was asked to come up with an idea for a training centre for the company’s business partners. It took her roughly two years to work out a concept, develop an educational guideline, organ-ize the academy physically with the necessary equipment, and outline an agenda with the most important business partners. In August 2007 the Lange Academy was presented to international retailers and journalists. Joanna Gribben, of course was present, like always competent, charming and modest. (GC)


Source: Europa Star October-November 2008 Magazine Issue