Co-founder and Partner
Christian Ihre
One of the most satisfying phenomena with our work is when we are part of helping companies discover how they can play a much bigger role in people’s lives and then help them transform to play that role.
I co-founded Lynxeye consultants in 1999 with Johan Ekelin, after we both had spent close to 7 years managing brands within Procter & Gamble. In 2013, I started our Asia business, that today has a growing team from many parts of East Asia, working with regional clients out of Singapore.
A lot of my career has been focused on the automotive industry with clients such as Volvo, VW, Lynk & Co, Lotus. I’ve also done a lot of work for banking and finance, and global spirit brands.
—In today’s world, where stakeholders are more than just customers and shareholders, you need to be clear about what role you play in people’s lives and in society to stay consistent and reliable. A clear purpose is the starting point for this.
What are today’s big challenges?
A lot of companies today are in industries that experience nothing short of paradigm shifts – from retail, to media, B2C to B2B. Shifts of such magnitude often put into question the future of these corporations.
To be able to craft a path for the future where the individual company can shape what new role it wants to play for the people and communities it serves, is a huge challenge. To succeed you must have both a very good sense of what’s the company’s unwavering purpose but also an understanding of people’s and society’s future needs.
How is purpose misunderstood?
Many purposes are developed without any underlying commitment. But a purpose is powerful only once it becomes the bridge between a company’s core belief and the core values of the people it serves. This requires some deep digging to find something that is fundamental enough to build the bridge on. This takes time while spending a year to define a purpose and then work out its consequences is something many companies are not prepared to invest in.
Name a great purpose example
Frankly – I’m still looking. My favored brand would be a brand that mixes its integrity with an agility that makes them intriguing in a timeless, almost eternal way. Luxury brands often master the balancing act of maintaining great integrity with an agility that constantly makes them relevant. Shang-Xia is one of these brands that brings the excellence of Chinese craftsmanship into contemporary lifestyle in a magical way.
—I love working with people who want to change and who love to take on questions with potential to change things in a big way. We have many of those in Lynxeye and we are fortunate to have many such clients.
How have you created impact?
I am very proud of the impact that our contribution to Volvo’s repositioning in 2010 and consequential transformation of cars, design, communication had on their business. From 400,000 cars and alarming deficit to almost double the volume and very healthy margins, 10 years later behind a clear purpose.
