NICOLAS HAYEK, A SWISS ICON (1928-2010)



"This man makes use of all his energy and passion to succeed on its projects. He has lots of talents.” This is how Cindy Crawford, the world famous top-model spoke about Nicolas Hayek. Died in 2010, Nicolas Hayek is still a legend in Switzerland. He is considered as the man who saved the Swiss horology in the decade 1980.


Nicolas Hayek and Cindy Crawford Omega amabassador, 1999.


                                                   Who was really Nicolas Hayek?


Nicolas Hayek, originally from Lebanon, has begun its career as consultant for the automobile and steel industry. But, he had a DNA of an entrepreneur, a man who built new products, who "brings something to the planet" as he said. This is why he created his own company of consulting Hayek Engineering. Often he liked to repeat“at the beginning it was very hard, I didn't have customers. I worked in a small office, where I wasn't able to pay me a telephone line, I had to go to a phone box, in front of my office”.

But in 1982, twenty years later, Hayek Engineering is become a well-known company in Zurich, and its customers was very famous as BMW, Philips, Gaumont, Nestlé, Renault…



                                                     Impetuous Nicolas.


Iconoclast, Nicolas Hayek began famous because of its strong personality. He didn’t hesitate to speak directly with any employees, customers or competitors. Invited in 2009, in Le Forum des 100, a meeting of the main personalities in French-speaking Switzerland, he said to the crowd before the first question of the interviewer: “First of all, do you really want to speak with me?”

Impetuous, Nicolas Hayek sometimes was described as crazy or egocentric. He related the moment at the beginning of Swatch when he presented some watches to elegant ladies in a tennis club, next to his home. Convinced that it will be a success, it was a complete disappointment. They said to him “You really think, you will save the Swiss horology with these plastic watches, you’re crazy!” 

But Nicolas Hayek was a man with a strong willpower. Very motivating for its colleagues, he worked with passion and optimism,“I don’t work, I have fun between 12 and 14 hours per day.”


Nicolas Hayek, playing like a kid with his toy.



                                                       A talented businessman.


Focus on the product: this is on secret of the businessman. In fact, while lots of companies lost their time with schedules and organisational problems, Hayek wanted to focus his energy on making a good product. This is why, in spite of a cheap price, the Swatch is a good qualitative watch, and this part of the success.

Secondly, he understood the importance of marketing and branding. He succeeded to re-position lots of brands as Oméga, Bréguet, or Tissot. He employed stars as Cindy Crawford or George Clooney to advertise on his brands.


George Clooney promoting Omega, August 2009.


                                                    A humanist entrepreneur?


 It is a difficult question but what it can be said is: Nicolas Hayek has injected a family spirit in the Swatch Group until the end of his life. His employees loved him. Of course, he fired people during his career but "only when I didn't have other solutions".

Some people relate that he didn’t speak about his fabrics in China. This is true, but he created so many jobs that it will be petty to accuse him on this topic.
                                                  Nicolas Hayek is still living.
Due to his son, who is C.E.O of the Swatch Group and his daughter, also working for the company, the spirit of Nicolas Hayek is still existing. This entrepreneurial spirit can be sum up in few words: create good and desirable products with passion and respect.

Nick Hayek celebrating the 180 years of Longines.


JVS.


References
  • Friedemann Bartu, Au-delàs de la Saga Swatch, Albin Michel, 2006.


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