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.

Randi Shinske is the president of Maurice Lacroix North America and has been a leader in the US watch industry for quite some time, having been at Ebel and other companies in the past. “Being one of the few woman leaders in the watch industry today is quite exciting,” she says. “Powerful women in all industries are on the rise and they are becoming watch customers as well. The challenge we are faced with today is educating more and more women about mechanical watches so they feel more comfortable owning them and enjoying them.
“There are more opportunities for women today in this industry,” she continues. “Opportunities for women at all levels have flourished as society has accepted and recognized women's talents and contributions. Women in the watch industry have been traditionally seen in marketing and PR positions, but today, we see a growing number of women in sales, technical positions such as watchmakers and senior level management positions, like CEOs. Women executives in the watch industry contribute attention to detail, design and beauty, combined with an appreciation of mechanical movements.”
Shinske, who has received many awards and honours, has been successful wherever she has been in the watch industry. “I work really hard. That's really the truth - I have always been very disciplined and very focused,” she says. “I am very direct, I don't sugarcoat anything. I go back to my people skills and the motto I live with is that we are human first and then comes business.”
Her advice to other women in the watch industry? “It is a fact that this industry is still predominantly led and controlled by men today, however, women are a significant variable in the changes that will come in the future,” she says. “Women, both from a consumer perspective as well as leaders in this industry, will be the ones to take what was once a male dominated industry in the past to a more balanced luxury industry for all sophisticated individuals to enjoy.” (KWS)


Source: Europa Star October-November 2008 Magazine Issue