In this interview, she shares with us her inspiring journey, her challenges as a woman leader, and her vision for the future of Caran d’Ache. We explore her management style, her values, and how she combines tradition and modernity to guide her company towards new horizons.

Carole, thank you for taking the time to share your inspiring journey and thoughts with us.

What first attracted me to the École Hôtelière de Genève was the balanced mix of practical and theoretical training. I found it very valuable, because you can put your theoretical knowledge into practice straight away. When you leave school, you’re already well prepared to face the reality of what happens in the business world. This combination of theory and practice really motivated me at the time.

Another thing that appealed to me was the diversity of the training. Managing a hotel or a restaurant is ultimately like managing any other type of business. You touch on many different aspects: management, service, logistics… It gives you an overall view of the business world, which is invaluable.

Last but not least, one of the most important aspects of this training program is its focus on the customer. In any business, the customer is central. Without the customer, there is no business. Learning to put the customer at the heart of our preoccupations is a skill that I retained and which is still very useful to me today. Whether at the École Hôtelière or in my current career at Caran D’Ache, everything starts with the customer: his needs, his expectations. This customer focus is a key element in my professional success.

The values that impressed me most during my training at theÉcole Hôtelière de Genève are undoubtedly professionalism and excellence. These principles are fundamental, especially when running a business in Switzerland. Switzerland is often seen as a model of excellence, and it’s essential to maintain this high standard in everything we do.

Innovation and adaptability are also notions that I have retained and which are particularly valuable to me today. In today’s world, it’s crucial to remain agile, to make decisions quickly and to know how to adapt to change. There are times when we follow a well-defined path, but external circumstances force us to redirect our course. The ability to adapt quickly is therefore essential.

Finally, another fundamental aspect that I continue to apply in my role is the importance of ongoing training. In today’s world, where young people are likely to have several careers in the course of their lives, continuous training is essential. The pace of change is rapid, and to remain competitive, you have to be constantly learning, testing new things, and never ceasing to renew yourself. This is an essential approach to successfully navigating today’s professional world.

Indeed, this project is the fruit of a process of reflection that began some 12 years ago. We realized that our current building, which is over 50 years old, had a number of limitations. From a logistical point of view, for example, our trucks have to cross downtown Geneva, which is not optimal with current traffic levels. In environmental terms, we also knew we could do better.

After studying the possibility of renovating our current plant, it seemed wiser to start from scratch and build a new site. It was a real challenge to find an industrial site in Geneva, but as a family business, it was important for us to own it. This took time, as did the decommissioning of the land where we are today, which enabled us to sell this project and finance our move and the construction of our new plant and headquarters.

It’s a long process, and to date we’re still waiting for planning permission. This project has been underway for over 12 years, and of course our needs have changed over time, but we adapt our plans accordingly. Our ambition with this new building is to meet the highest standards of corporate social responsibility (CSR). We also want a site adapted to our current needs, which will enable us to gain in efficiency and productivity.

We plan to invest heavily in digitizing and automating our processes, so that the next generation can benefit from state-of-the-art production tools. Our goal is to become the world’s most modern manufacturer of drawing and writing instruments.

Modernity is first and foremost reflected in our manufacturing processes, notably through digitalization and the integration of new technologies into our production tools. Every year, we invest heavily in research and development, as well as in new technologies and machinery to constantly improve our production. This is a recurring aspect of our strategy.

As far as our products are concerned, it’s true that they remain very traditional and still involve a great deal of craftsmanship. There’s a certain analogy with cooking, where we also find this balance between tradition and innovation. But what allows us to maintain a link between these two aspects is the chance to have a community of artists and Caran d’Ache fans who interact with us. This allows us to bring a touch of innovation to even the most traditional products. Thanks to this community and our reputation, we can create attractive packaging and tell captivating stories about our products, constantly renewing our brand.

This interaction with our customers, particularly through social networks, plays a key role in our modernity. We recently collaborated with an ambassador, a very popular singer, who is a real fan of our products. These authentic collaborations, whether with artists, designers or architects, enable our brand to remain innovative while respecting our artisanal roots. It’s this authenticity and shared passion that makes these partnerships so relevant and sets Caran d’Ache apart.

Among the many recent innovations, one I’m particularly proud of is our initiative with the 849 pen, dubbed “Caran d’Ache Plus Me”. This is a project that can be found both on our e-commerce site and in certain international outlets, enabling consumers to fully personalize their pens. They can choose the color of the body, the various attributes and the ink, and even have their name or a message engraved on the pen and packaging. This initiative responds perfectly to customers’ current expectations in terms of personalization, and has been a resounding success since its launch just over a year ago. We’re proud to have been the first in our category to offer this, confirming our role as a forerunner in our sector.

Another innovation I’m very proud of is our Creative Class program. It enables adults, who often say “I’m not an artist”, to rediscover their creativity through online drawing lessons. This program offers simple, accessible techniques, explained step by step, to encourage everyone to perfect their drawing skills. We also offer “Creative Boxes”, which contain all the materials you need to take these online courses. This initiative opens up new creative possibilities for our customers, helping them to reconnect with their artistic souls.

These two innovations, one focused on product personalization and the other on artistic exploration, illustrate how we are evolving, remaining true to our artisan heritage while adopting modern, innovative approaches. They position Caran d’Ache as a brand that continues to innovate while remaining close to its customers’ expectations, which will enable us to remain competitive for decades to come.

“My management style could be defined as “management by walking around”. I’m lucky enough to run a company on a human scale, with around 300 employees, which means I’m close to everyone. I like to go into the workshops, talk to the people who work on the machines, talk to the people in the offices. This allows me to understand what’s really going on in the field and to tackle challenges together. I firmly believe that alone we may go faster, but together we go further. It’s a principle I apply on a daily basis: collaboration is essential if we are to achieve our common goals.

The values I try to instill in my teams are many, but excellence is paramount. We are Switzerland’s ambassadors on the international stage, and as such we must always produce and distribute products of the highest quality, while offering impeccable service. The transmission of passion is also crucial. At Caran d’Ache, we have several generations working together, and each brings something to the other. It’s important that this passion for craftsmanship and know-how is passed on from one generation to the next.

Responsibility, at all levels, is another key value. Whether it’s our responsibility to deliver a quality product to the next stage of the production chain, or our social and environmental responsibility, it’s all part of our DNA. We are constantly striving to integrate sustainable practices into our manufacturing process. For example, as early as the 1940s, we began reusing wood shavings from pencil production to heat our workshops in winter. These kinds of initiatives make good sense, and we’re continuing to develop them today.

Finally, originality and boldness are values I’m keen to encourage. It’s important to dare to think outside the box, to try new things, even if they seem a little crazy at first. Stepping out of your comfort zone allows you to make significant advances, and at Caran d’Ache, we’re always ready to innovate and try offbeat approaches.”

“Obviously, the technical skills required for the job are essential. However, at Caran d’Ache, many trades are learned on the job. We have more than 90 different professions in the company, some of which are unique to our company. This represents a major challenge in terms of human resources, but also a learning opportunity for those who join our teams.

In addition to technical skills, we place great emphasis on soft skills, i.e. human qualities. What counts above all is sharing our values. It’s essential that the new talents who join us fit in with the team spirit and adaptability that characterize Caran d’Ache. We’re looking for people with strong emotional intelligence, able to work collaboratively and understand that it’s never “me”, but always “us”. This collective spirit is central to the way we operate, and we pay particular attention to it when recruiting new talent.”

“Geneva is a great place to live, and we’re very lucky to be here. However, we mustn’t rest on our laurels. Today, we’re facing increasing competition, not only from other cantons, but also internationally. It’s crucial to remind young people that nothing can be taken for granted, and that they must constantly challenge themselves, whether in a company or in everyday life.

One of the things that concerns me is the low turnout of Genevans at elections, despite the fact that we are fortunate enough to live in a democracy where everyone can express themselves. Only 37% of Genevans vote, which is not very many, especially when you consider that almost 50% of Geneva’s population cannot vote because they are foreigners. And yet, voting is very simple: you receive all the documents at home, and all you have to do is send them back, without even having to pay for the stamp or go out on a Sunday.

Our role at FLAG (Fondation pour l’Attractivité de Genève) is to strengthen and promote Geneva’s attractiveness, highlighting aspects such as quality of life, sustainability, infrastructure, taxation and, of course, professional opportunities. Attracting talent to Geneva is becoming increasingly difficult. For example, for someone from Zurich, moving here may seem complicated because of the cost of living, higher taxes, and the difficulty of finding accommodation.

Our mission is therefore to inform and raise awareness, in particular by funding academic studies and research, which we then publish in a modern way, notably via social networks. We aim to provide non-political, fact-based information to encourage people to mobilize and vote. By making this information accessible and understandable to as many people as possible, we hope to help ensure that Geneva remains an attractive canton. Unfortunately, this is becoming a challenge, as many companies, including those with offices in other cantons, are seeing their teams grow elsewhere while Geneva struggles to attract new talent.”