As the President and CEO of Chopard, Marc Hruschka is embracing the company’s signature passion, and insisting on bringing the US branch to the next level of luxury
By Stephanie Wilson / Photography by Reynaldo Alés
“Behind my creative work, there always lies a vast amount of research, perception, imagination, meetings with other people-in short, life itself!”
With designs that are instantly recognizable worldwide, Chopard has long been the leading name in luxury timepieces and jewelry produced by a family-owned company. Chopard has bred passion since the company’s founding in the Swiss Jura in 1860 by Louise-Ulysses Chopard. The company has grown exponentially, all while respecting their family-style roots. Chopard can be credited with producing some of the most astounding jewelry and timepieces available. So magnificent are their pieces, Chopard has long been the partner of the unrivaled Cannes International Film Festival, where the most sophisticated celebrities can be seen wearing their Red Carpet Collection. The venerable jewelry-maker has also become something of a good luck charm on Oscar day, as they have outfitted many a winner in recent years, including this year’s Best Actress Helen Mirren.
Almost one hundred years after the humble beginnings of the now worldwide-recognized brand, Paul Andre-Chopard, the grandson of Louise-Ulysses, realized that he had no namesake interested in following into the jewelry world. Karl Scheufele, a young goldsmith and watchmaker from Germany ultimately acquired the company in 1963, choosing to keep the recognizable Chopard name. Karl went to work modernizing Chopard, bringing the luxury brand into the new century.
As a new member of the Chopard family, Marc Hruschka is the ideal face for the brand’s US division. Tall, debonair, and sophisticated, Hruschka is a family man, working for a family-owned brand. A dedicated husband and father of four, Hruschka has embraced his role in the company since day one.
With over 17 years in the luxury goods industry, Hruschka joined Chopard in 2006 as its new president and chief operating officer. It seems as if the role was fated for him, as he was raised in the jewelry industry; his grandfather was a jewelry distributor, and both his mother and father still work in the industry as a designer and manufacturer, respectively. Despite the urgings of his father, Hruschka did not plan on heading into the jewelry world, yet as fate would have it, he was offered a job at Tiffany & Co. upon completing his schooling in Texas. He worked with many major luxury houses over the years prior to finding his current home at Chopard.
“What attracted me to Chopard was that it is a family-owned and operated company. The only shareholders are family members,” he explains. “Family businesses are becoming rare, especially in the luxury industry, so it’s a great place to be. As they say, ‘At Chopard, passion rules,’ and it really does.”
The family behind the Chopard name is now headed up by brother and sister Karl-Friedrich and Caroline Scheufele as co-chairpersons. Caroline’s role in the company is as the head of luxury jewelry design, as well as the creator of jewels, ladies’ timepieces, fragrances, and elegant accessories. “Behind my creative work, there always lies a vast amount of research, perception, imagination, meetings with other people-in short, life itself!” Caroline exclaims. Karl-Friedrich has his eye more on the business pulse, as he is in charge of the manufacture in Fleurier where the signature L.U.C watch movements are developed and made. He is also responsible for the entire men’s watch division and business management aspects. As he is known for saying, “Luxury is man-made,” and Chopard has been making it for years.
