News

Leadership perspectives on transformation and customer experience in premium fashion retail

By Annelore Bergman, Client Partner.

March 2026

In this Executives Unfiltered conversation, I sat down with Manuela Beer, CEO of PKZ Burger-Kehl & Co. AG, about how to stay relevant through transformation while preserving brand identity.

For readers who may not know you yet: How would you describe your role today and what defines the PKZ brand in one sentence?

"As CEO of PKZ, my role is to continuously align an iconic Swiss fashion house with changing customer expectations while staying true to its heritage. PKZ is defined by premium quality, personal service and a deep understanding of style that is both contemporary and timeless."

Looking back at the past years of disruption in fashion retail, which leadership decision would you take exactly the same way again – and why?

"I would take the same decision again to invest early in omnichannel while deliberately strengthening our stores. As a leadership team, we aligned the organization behind that dual focus - rather than treating it as a trade-off - and executed consistently. In a disruptive phase, that clarity of direction helped us stay close to the customer and build resilience."

From today’s perspective, which development in fashion retail do you believe many leadership teams are still underestimating?

"Many leadership teams still underestimate the speed at which expectations for relevance and personalization are rising. Winning in fashion retail increasingly means turning customer insights into localized assortments, sharper curation, and more individualized service - online and in store. That requires new ways of working, clearer ownership, and the capability to act faster, not just more digital tools."

How do you balance digital acceleration with preserving the emotional strength of physical retail?

"We view digital as an enabler, not a replacement, of physical retail. Technology should enhance service, transparency and personalization, while the store remains the emotional anchor of the brand. The key is ensuring both worlds are designed around the same customer promise."

In your experience, what is the earliest signal that a retail brand may begin to lose desirability?

"When customers stop engaging emotionally and start comparing purely on convenience or price. Desirability fades long before sales decline. In premium retail, inspiration is the leading indicator."

What has been your toughest people decision as CEO and what did it teach you about leading through change?

"The most difficult decisions are always those that affect people who have contributed significantly to the company. Leadership sometimes requires aligning roles with future capabilities rather than past achievements. These moments demand clarity, empathy, and respect. I learned that transparent communication builds trust even in challenging transitions."

Which two signals tell you early whether a transformation is on track: one hard KPI and one soft indicator?

"A hard KPI is like-for-like growth across channels. The soft indicator is leadership behavior - whether managers actively drive change or wait for direction. Ownership is the strongest signal."

When you hire senior leaders, what is the one trait you look for first?

"I look first for learning agility. In an environment of constant change, the ability to reflect, adapt and make decisions with incomplete information is critical. Skills can be developed, mindset is much harder to change."

Looking ahead, if we meet again in 2028, what should be true about PKZ?

"PKZ should be recognized as the most customer-centric premium fashion retailer in Switzerland. We should have grown profitably while remaining culturally strong and relevant to new generations. Most importantly, our teams should feel proud of how we transformed without losing our identity."

Rapid-Fire Questions:

• A brand you admire for leadership rather than marketing?
  "Akris: It leads by staying true to its identity – with discipline, craftsmanship, and a long-term perspective."
• A decision rule you rely on when data is incomplete?
  "When data is incomplete, I rely on informed intuition – grounded in experience and a deep understanding of our customers."
• One talent myth you would like to challenge?
  "The myth that talent is fixed. In reality, the ability to learn, adapt, and evolve is far more valuable than any static skill."

Bringing our conversation to a close, what stands out is a consistent theme: transformation is not only about channels or capabilities, but about clarity, leadership, and staying anchored in what defines the brand. As Manuela Beer’s perspective shows, long-term relevance in premium retail comes from evolving with intention while preserving identity, and ensuring that both customer experience and organizational mindset move in the same direction.