Generation of family ownership: Eleventh.
About the company: We’re in about 120 countries and distribute mainly through importers and wholesalers. We also have subsidiaries in a few larger countries and our own importers and distributors. We have around 1,200 employees, with 50 of them in the U.S.
Years with the company: Seventeen. I acquired my first title, executive vice president in the U.S., in 2000, and in 2004 I became CEO of that subsidiary. In July 2013 I took over from my father in Austria.
First job at this company: I had an internship in the factory at age 12, preparing tools and instruments for the glass blowers and the masters.
Most memorable thing I learned from my father: The importance of doing well in school. I was a bad student, and my father gave me two choices: improve or go to work in the business. That was the internship. I worked in the factory to get a taste of it and decided to become a better student.
Most memorable thing I learned from my mother: Family is everything. There’s no one you should trust more than your family.
Best thing about this job: I have the job I always dreamed about. I was born and bred to run the company.
Best advice I ever got: Stick to what you know best. Whenever my father and I tried different things, we didn’t fail, but we always returned to what we do best.
Quote from our company’s mission statement: We are the wine glass company.
On my desk: A glass replica of a snake that my mom gave me because it’s my Chinese astrological sign. Some of the award-winning decanters I designed look like snakes.
One of my greatest accomplishments: Having the right people around me, who inspire me. I have a good track record; most of the people I’ve hired are still with me.
Best thing about working in a family business: I’m a young entrepreneur, which means my father, who is dynamic, is still around. I can fall back on him when I have a question. I have an ally who wants me to succeed.
Worst thing about working in a family business: The other side of the “ally” coin. You always have someone looking over your shoulder, telling you that you could have done something another way, so it’s a double-edged sword.
Advice for other family business leaders: If you’re in America, join the Young Presidents Organization or a group like it. I learned about entrepreneurship and other family businesses and was able to exchange thoughts with others like me.
On a day off I like to… hike in the Austrian mountains. When I get tired, I wait until my reserve kicks in, and it proves to me that I could be tougher and go further.
Philanthropic causes our family supports: I supported various breast cancer foundations with art and glass for years. Now we partner with culinary schools to support chefs, and we’re a sponsor of the James Beard Foundation, the Napa Valley Wine Auction and La Biennale in Venice, among others. We also support glassmakers.
Books I think every family business leader should read: No book can capture the beauty and wisdom you can gain from traveling the world.
I realized I had emerged from the previous generation’s shadow when… I left for boarding school at 16, moved to Paris afterward to start a job, and then moved to America at 23.
Future succession plans: I’ll consider having children sooner or later. My father retired when he was 65, and I think I’d like to sit on the throne a little longer than that.
Words I live by: Faith, honesty, motivation, hope and luck.
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