Interview: Stefanie Ng, CEO Audemars Piguet Southeast Asia
Named chief executive officer of Audemars Piguet (AP) in Southeast Asia at the end of 2019, Stefanie Ng was in charge of the brand’s marketing efforts in the region before being tapped for the top job. A respected industry insider whose first job was in watchmaking, Ms Ng is now responsible for one of the fastest-growing regions at one of the best-performing luxury-watch brands. With many pandemic restrictions lifted, I sat down with Ms Ng for a chat earlier in the year, where she explained what has kept her at AP for almost all of her career, and also provided some hints as to the watchmaker’s upcoming launches. The interview was edited for clarity and length. You were appointed CEO of AP in the region in October 2019. Tell us a bit about your career before that. I started my career in the watch industry, at Swatch Group, first at Breguet, and then at Blancpain and CK Calvin Klein, where I did marketing. So the world of luxury watches was familiar when I joined AP as the regional marketing manager, [a role] you would call brand manager today. I handled all marketing activities across Southeast Asia, that’s eight to nine countries, for eight years. You have been at AP for most of your career. What has kept you there? The company and its people. Its values and direction have given me interesting perspectives on the watch industry, while helping expand my horizons, first as a marketer, and then as a leader. And of course, it’s also the brand – AP is where I feel at...