PEOPLE
April/May 2026
housewareslive.net Brief Encounter
Beatrice Meyn, Head of Cutlery at Victorinox, shares her housewares journey.
This gave me a deep understanding of product lifecycles, consumer expectations, and how brand, design, and commercial goals come together.
What would you like to achieve in this role? It’s important to me to further develop and simplify the portfolio while driving innovation and design. What really matters is creating products that truly convince customers and bring the brand to life.
What has been the highlight of your career so far? One highlight was my active role in broad brand and portfolio transformations – from setting the strategic direction through to implementation. I found it especially rewarding to redefine the overall assortment structure and to actively shape key elements such as packaging and pricing, and to see how this led to a consistent market presence with measurable results.
What do you see as the main issues for retailers and the industry at the moment? Balancing assortment complexity with clarity, increasing cost pressure, and staying relevant in a fast-moving and increasingly digital environment are key challenges. At the same time, it is important to anticipate changing consumer and kitchen trends early and translate them into clear, differentiated product offers..
What one piece of advice would you give yourself at the start of your career?
I would tell myself to spend less time on details and focus more on what really creates impact – with the courage to work pragmatically, implement ideas, and adjust or stop them quickly if needed. And not to underestimate the importance of stakeholder alignment.
What is your current role and how long have you been doing it? I am Head of Category Cutlery at Victorinox and responsible for the portfolio and product strategy for household and professional knives. I have been in this role for seven years, driving strategic initiatives across the entire portfolio.
What does your role entail? My role combines strategy and execution: I define the direction of our product portfolio, initiate and drive redesign and portfolio transformation projects, and ensure our collections remain relevant and differentiated worldwide.
How did you get started in the industry? Before moving into product management, I worked in different areas – from purchasing to sales and marketing, and also logistics. Always with a strong focus on customer needs and market dynamics, which led me into product management...
What roles were you doing before and how did they prepare you for this one? I worked in various product management and cross-functional roles.
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What keeps you busy at the weekends? Weekends are time for me to switch off – spending time with my family and focusing on personal priorities.
If you’re at the bar, what are you drinking? I don’t drink alcohol – but I really enjoy well-made, creative non-alcoholic cocktails.
What is your favourite book? Favourite film? I love books and read across many genres – from clever and humorous stories to intense crime novels. What matters most is that the story really captures me emotionally. It’s the same with films – it’s less about the genre and more about whether the story works.
If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be and why?
Barbe-Nicole Clicquot – I find it impressive how she followed her own path with courage and entrepreneurial thinking in a male-dominated time, and at the same time created real innovation. This combination of clarity, determination, and drive really inspires me.
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