SCOTTISH STYLE AWARDS 2011 - GLASGOW, SCOTLAND
Judging Panel - Nadja Swarovski
NADJA SWAROVSKI is the daughter of Helmut Swarovski, president and chairman of the board of directors of D. Swarovski & Co. Born in Germany, raised in Austria and schooled in Europe (Germany, France, Spain and Italy) and the United States, she is the fifth generation of the Swarovskis to work for the family business.
Nadja Swarovski graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History, a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Foreign Languages and a Minor Degree in Latin American Studies. She continued on with a graduate course in Fine and Decorative Arts at Sotheby’s in New York, followed by courses at the Gemological Institute of America in New York in Diamond Grading, Colorstone Grading and Gem Identification. Throughout the years courses at Harvard University, INSEAD and Columbia University inspired and supported her Marketing Communications strategy and initiative for the family’s firm.
Before joining the family company, Nadja worked for Gagosian Gallery in New York, the largest US dealer in contemporary art. Thereafter she joined the public relations houses of Eleanor Lambert and Marilyn Evins, in New York, where she worked with clients in the European and American fashion and jewelry industries.
After Nadja started her career at Swarovski North America Ltd in New York in Marketing Communications and Public Relations in 1995, she worked for 16 months with Swarovski Hong Kong Ltd., concentrating on activities in the Hong Kong-, China- and South East Asian markets. Upon her return to New York, she concentrated on branding and communications for the company’s crystal components business where she re-launched crystal into the forefront of fashion by working with the most innovative and groundbreaking designers in the worlds of fashion, jewelry, lighting and film. Nadja created Swarovski’s first international Creative Service Center - a sophisticated crystal showroom designed to inspire visitors to explore the endless possibilities of crystal. These crystal embassies, within design communities, offer the largest selection of colors, cuts and sizes as well as the lastest crystal products and application technologies from Wattens. Nadja's philosphy for the Creative Service Centers has proven to be successful - by providing designers with the insight on the versatility and potential of crystal, Swarovski continues to revolutionize the world of fashion and design.
As Vice President of Communications, Nadja initiated and set up the Corporate Communications Unit London in November 2000, where the concept of the Creative Service Center and Communication merged. After commuting between New York and London for one year, Ms. Swarovski moved to London in November 2001. While continuing to rediscover and support talent in the fashion and jewelry industries, Nadja initiated the revival of the chandelier, thus moving into the Home Décor/Lifestyle arena. The music and movie industries have also become areas of concentration, where Swarovski crystals allow the stars to shine even more brightly.