Nicolas Krafft recently worked at Columbia University teaching Digital Business Leadership in New York City. Nicolas has over two decades of experience in the beauty industry with L’Oréal working to build L’Oréal’s worldwide presence and while climbing the ladder and eventually holding the title of International General Manager of Pulp Riot, a brand within the L'Oréal family.
Background
Nicolas Krafft is truly a global citizen. Born in Switzerland, Krafft is fluent in French, German, and English. He has also lived in Canada, the United States, France, Latvia, Romania, and Germany. This has led Krafft to better understand the cultures of the world through his work and personal life. He loves working with people in ways that help them develop and grow as employees and people. He has found success across borders, building and maintaining relationships with people of all cultures and backgrounds.
Krafft spends much of his spare time outdoors. He has completed two marathons and hiked some of the world’s highest summits, including Mt. Kilimanjaro. When he isn’t adventuring, Krafft is spending time with his wife and three daughters.
Education
Nicolas Krafft was educated at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland, where he obtained his MBA with a focus on finance and accounting. Krafft believes in the importance of continued education, which is why, in 2006, he enrolled in an executive management training program through the Institut Européen d'Administration des Affaires (INSEAD) Global Leadership Centre in Fontainebleau, France to hone his management skills.
Career
After completing his education, Krafft began his career at L’Oréal in Germany as a Product Manager for professional haircare and hair color products. Krafft moved up in the company quickly, becoming a Marketing Director of Kérastase before he was reassigned to Paris to oversee the launch of the L’Oréal’s Matrix brand in Asia.
With Krafft’s continued success, he was tasked with managing operations in the Baltic States, then in Romania. He then moved back to Paris to lead the Eastern Europe marketing and sales operation. In 2014, Krafft was named the Vice President of Global Business Development of the L’Oreal Professional brand in New York City. Krafft then led the Pulp Riot brand as the International General Manager and met every objective in his career with energy and drive. In that role he played a vital role in the company’s ongoing global expansion.
Today, Krafft is a guest professor at Columbia University in New York City teaching Digital Business Leadership.
Personality
Krafft volunteers his free time with children-centric charitable organizations. He has helped renovate two education centers for these charities: one for kids that have been disconnected from their families, and another facility for children with special needs.
Nicolas Krafft’s Secret to Success: “Focus on the Essential”
Nicolas Krafft has a knack for explaining big ideas through key “essentials,” and through this interview we found it to be one of his nearest and dearest techniques in managing shared expectations and goals for a team that spans the globe.
