Rolf W. Schnyder
| Rolf W. Schnyder | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
31 July 1935 Zürich, Switzerland |
| Died | 14 April 2011 (aged 75) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Title | Ulysse Nardin, Owner / CEO |
Rolf W. Schnyder (1935 in Zurich - 2011 in Kuala Lumpur) was a Swiss businessman known for his role as the owner and CEO of watchmaker Ulysse Nardin.
From the beginning a certain duality inhabited Rolf Schnyder's personality. On one side, his strong organizational skills and sharp analytical mind were typical of a Swiss German upbringing. However, there was also something unerringly romantic, a perpetual inquisitiveness and interest in the world beyond his immediate vicinity.
In 1956, Schnyder moved to Geneva to improve his French. Working in Jaeger-LeCoultre's advertising department on Geneva's historic Tour de L'Ile, Schnyder noticed that people in his office were easily intimidated by orders and correspondence that arrived in English. Realizing the insularity of the Swiss watch industry, Schnyder became determined to explore the world. He arranged to be posted for six months to his company's subsidiary, ‘De Travers' located on Cromwell Road in London. After this attachment he returned to Geneva, but somehow having been exposed to the sprawling universe beyond Switzerland he realized that he had to move again.
Like many young men, Schnyder was infected with wanderlust; he wanted to dive into the rich vivid colors of foreign lands, to eat things with flavors he'd never tasted and to experience new cultures with total immediacy. A newspaper clipping aroused his attention. A Swiss company named Diethelm was distributing a vast array of goods in Thailand and they were searching for a Swiss junior manager. Though only 22 years old, Schnyder instantly responded to the ad and his application was accepted. As he boarded in Genoa the “Asia”, a ship bound for South East Asia, he felt the world opening its infinite golden mysteries to him.
Because of his experience in the Swiss watch industry, Schnyder was immediately put in charge of Diethelm's timepiece division. Schnyder and his sales team would embark on weeklong journeys throughout Thailand trumpeting the merits of Swiss watches. Thus, while the foreign nationals gathered together to eat vague approximations of European fare in their hotels, Schnyder was at street-side restaurants learning the culture and language of his Thai friends. Schnyder's ability to remain objective and not cast a Eurocentric sense of judgment on native behavior allowed him to understand and embrace the culture of the Thai people. Lean and rangy with the rawboned good looks of an American cowboy or a professional skier, Schnyder made friends easily. He began to look forward to these sales trips, as each one offered the opportunity to learn something new about the mysterious country he now inhabited.
Schnyder also had an inborn sense of business acumen. This, combined with fine managerial skills and boundless energy, soon saw him multi-tasking. When Diethelm diversified its activities with a travel agency, Schnyder ended up running the operation. Eager to share his passion for the incredible sights of South East Asia, he initiated charter flights in a leased DC3 from Bangkok to Siem Riep where the ancient Buddhist city of Angkor Wat stood untouched by time.
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Wikipedia