An interview with Nathalie Noël
Ms Noël, as of August 2021, you represent the Marketing department on the V-ZUG Executive Committee as Chief Marketing Officer. What opportunities do you see for the company?
The creation of this post will allow us to ensure that marketing is fit for the future. It means understanding that customer preferences evolve quickly and guaranteeing that marketing organisations are ready to adapt to these changing needs and behaviours. It is also about making sure we have the technological framework to enable us to connect with these customers and engage effectively with them, be this in physical or digital touchpoints. And last but not least, it is about maintaining a strong brand equity, in line with the times as well as the brand’s heritage and core values.
You have a very exciting CV: you grew up in Brazil, studied in Paris and gained valuable work experience in Paris, Cologne and Basel. What made you come to Zug and become part of a traditional Swiss company?
Although I was happy to discover a new region of Switzerland, my real motivating factor was V-ZUG. I value companies that design and manufacture objects built to last, with sustainability and longevity in mind. High quality, Swiss made, precision in details: these are all attributes that have been part of the brand DNA for over a century.
As to defining V-ZUG as traditional, I would challenge that. So many innovations ahead of their time have been launched by this company, by passionate people always exploring how to bring better products and experiences to their customers. And it is quite international too – I have never had discussions in so many different languages.
What were your first points of contact with V-ZUG and to what extent do you identify yourself with the brand?
When I moved to Switzerland, V-ZUG was immediately part of my life. The brand was present all around me: in my own kitchen, in my friends’ flats and even in Airbnb chalets. I have also realised how much V-ZUG is a love brand in Switzerland, with which people associate so many happy moments and memories. It is also a trusted brand that people grow old with. The emotional power of the brand, the commitment to sustainability and longevity, the local production cycle (Swiss made) and the importance given to employee well-being have made it easy for me to build a strong identification with the brand and the company.
How will you drive forward future-oriented digitalisation aspects in your role?
Digitalisation empowers us to bring more value to our customers, to offer them better experiences while allowing us to learn and continuously improve. We will work towards honing our long-term holistic digital approach and making sure we are designing the right user-friendly channels for our customers, building on future-proof technologies and guaranteeing that our brand is properly represented in the online world.
What do you expect from the newly built Marketing Department?
A marketing department is always looking at what the future will hold and is able to anticipate what we need to set up today in order to be ready for the future. It is a home for storytellers and creative minds as well as data-driven and technology-savvy professionals. It is a place for experimentation, analysis and innovation. It is a competence melting pot, where team members work collaboratively with the customers’ interests in mind.
What do you personally stand for as a member of the Executive Board?
The marketing organisation is customer-centric and needs to guarantee that it is keeping the customer insights and needs at the centre of the conversation. We also need to visualise the brand touchpoints in connection to one another, be it offline or online, and not as individual touchpoints. We are also the brand guardians: we need to guarantee the coherent and long-term construction of the brand while creating a strong customer engagement with it. We need to be the brand that customers love because it makes their lives easier and that they are proud to recommend to their friends. This is the mindset and energy we should aim to transmit.