Man for all times

For a man at the helm of what is possibly one of the most well-known brand houses, Sonke Tornieporth, vice-president of Mont Blanc, is far from your stereotypical CEO. He espouses the late John Lennon's philosophy with the same ease that he discusses the sales figures of Mont Blanc's fountain pens. "He was not only a musician, but also a visionary," says the rather conservative-looking Tornieporth of Lennon. "He spread the message around the world with his slogans of peace and love, andhe tried to improve the world."

Likewise, his love for his hometown, Hamburg. "You can enjoy true quality of life only in a city like Hamburg, with its leisurely pace and healthy environs," he smiles.

He obviously isn't a corporate clone. He doesn't believe that you have to be able to sell yourself to a client within the first few seconds of the meeting. He's not shy either; seeing me clutch a coffee he eyes it longingly and sighs, "That looks good, I wouldn't mind one myself!" before requesting an assistant to get him one too.

But there is no doubt that Tornieporth is a great salesman. He very persuasively convinces you that Mont Blanc's limited-edition pens are a good investment.

"Exceptional things are limited; without limits, life would have no exception," says Tornieporth.

"Mont Blanc writing instruments give annual returns of 25 per cent to 50 per cent, and there are enough connoisseurs looking for authentic limited editions."

His search for quality extends to his daily routine, not only by eating healthily, but also spending quality time with his sons and wife. "Otherwise you will get squeezed into a hectic business cycle, and before you know it, you are trying to do too many things and missing all that is important in life," says Tornieporth. "I think we need these precious moments that reaffirm our faith in life."

I, ME, MYSELF

I was born in Hamburg, coincidentally the city where Mont Blanc was established in 1906. It is a city which offers a very good quality of life. It is the second-largest city in Germany, but compared to other international metropolitan cities, rather like a small town. The population is 1.5 million. It doesn't have tall buildings like New York or any other big city, [but the city's aim] is not to be the biggest or largest. It has a big lake, lots of trees, parks, and offers a very good quality of life. The philosophy of Mont Blanc reflects that of Hamburg: Great quality, smaller volumes.

I think quality is important, and I hate to waste anything. When you buy something that is not of good quality it is a waste of money. For me throw-away items are a waste.

I like colours. When we introduced the Mahatma Gandhi fountain pen in India, we did it together with a special ink - orange ink. It reflects the philosophy of the person. When you have a writing instrument in your hand which is dedicated to and honours a person, you think about the philosophy of that person, his life and achievements. I believe that every time you write with that pen you think of what that person has gone through in his life. The special colour of the ink gives - me at least - a very special feeling.

I have various writing instruments with different colours and depending on my mood of the day, I choose a green ink or blue ink or orange ink. I use only fountain pens as they write differently. I choose the nibs, from broader to finer, depending on my mood as well and also on what I want to express with my handwritten notes or letters. I use a fountain pen to write because my writing is an expression of my emotions. A love letter for example is much more emotional when you write with a fountain pen, than when you type it out on the computer.

I, ME, MYSELF

Me and time

For me, time is very precious and I never have enough of it. But that said, I think trying to squeeze in too many activities into 24 hours is not the way to remedy that. We need to rest as well, we need to have time for ourselves. We have to manage our time intelligently. Especially people like me who are constantly running around with mobile phones and laptops, travelling internationally.

I try to make time for myself by switching off the phone. I need the time for myself, to read a book or reflect on some ideas and sentiments. This time for rest is essential because that's how we recharge our batteries. It also allows us to do an even better job. I won't call it being more efficient if you get really squeezed into a hectic business cycle trying to do too many things at one time.

Me and my strengths

I think I am quite an open, honest person. I can listen to the other point of view. I am also a rather calm person. I need harmony so I try to put in a certain balance into our teams, into our company structure as well, so that despite the conflicts that come up we generally tend to look for solutions.I am not a person who likes to speak up loudly or shout. I always try to find a solution, a mutual win-win situation. I believe very much in long-term partnerships and my philosophy in life has always been that you can't cheat a person twice. I believe in being direct and honest.

Me and slowing down

I also make time to write some notes by hand, thoughts and even love letters. I think that is important. Speed is something we experience automatically as a result of our lifestyles. I try to achieve exactly the opposite whenever possible … You have to find a balance in life and really slow down and you can apply that to all tasks of your daily life as well, including food. For me, breakfast is a very important meal because that happens before my boys go to school, so even if this is for half an hour in the morning, it's a time when we sit at the table before everybody goes into his own cycle. We get to exchange some ideas, discuss them. That for me is what the family is all about. Breakfast, and if possible dinners, are meals where the family gets together. You can see lots of fast food joints everywhere, but for me the quality of food is very important. I like to eat healthily with all the nutrients I need. I like to eat slowly as well. Maybe I eat less, but that's good and I feel it's the kind of balance we need in life.

Me and sports

I like to live healthily, I like to do a lot of sports. I am not a marathon person, nor am I into extreme sports. But I like to do some aerobic activity which makes me sweat. This is some of the precious time I save for myself. I do a lot of jogging but I don't use an MP3 player or anything. I just jog, at one with nature.

Me and perfection

I think I am far from being perfect. We all try to be perfect, but nothing is perfect. I always try to improve myself, but I am no control freak. You have to take into account the fact that you are also controlled or managed by too many outside forces, commitments and challenges. So as long as we know that at some point we can find the time to live according to our own wishes and dreams,I think it is acceptable.

Me and quality

This is a recurring motif in my life. I grew up in Hamburg, which has a quality of life quite unmatched by any other large city. I enjoy this life very much, which is very different to living in London or a city in the US where you have to commute long distances, endure heavy traffic and high tension. My children's school is five minutes away from home and they go by bicycle. It's very peaceful and green and safe. So, it's easy to see why I stress so much on quality, whether it is in my lifestyle, or in the things I buy. It absolutely is a must in the things we sell, of course.

Me and travelling

I love travelling and I like to be exposed to different cultures. I find that very interesting. I travel a lot, to Latin America, within Europe, to the Middle East, to India and to Russia.I see a lot of different people, cultures, philosophies, religions, and climates. I find it extremely interesting to really see the world without borders. That is why for me John Lennon's philosophy, to develop respect for other beliefs, is important. What is missing in the world today is respect for other people, other cultures, other philosophies... So, if you ask me if I have a wish, it would be, like John Lennon, to change the world into a better place.

Me and parenthood

Parenthood has definitely influenced me positively and set the base for my values, my philosophy. I try to give the same good childhood that I enjoyed to my children as well. To educate them, as we say in German, is not only to give them the proper grounding and the wings to be able to fly, but also to give them the basis to enjoy a good and healthy philosophy.

I, ME, MYSELF

Mont Blanc is on an expansion spree: three new stores in Dubai and also the expansion of an existing store. The rationale behind this?

Mont Blanc has been in the region for the past 20 years with great success. We have grown significantly over the past two decades, and even a stall in a mall here has always been a very important market for us. That is why the brand wants to keep on moving, having the latest developments in place, developing the boutique concept. So there is a constant renewal and renovation of our boutiques. The retail environment in Dubai is changing quickly so the brand has to keep up with the pace of these developments if we want to maintain the same level of success. That is why we are constantly investing in the region. We are expanding, looking into good locations. For the brand, it is totally justified.

In the past year the watch industry, especially the luxury sector, has seen some growth despite the global downturn.

That has been our experience at Mont Blanc. It only reinforces our opinion that even in difficult times people really go for quality. To rephrase Oscar Wilde, you should spend your money not necessarily on luxury goods, but on quality goods - especially if you don't want to waste your money. Too often people just waste money when they buy low quality or cheap things.

When you consider Swiss watches in general, and all Mont Blanc products in particular, it's all about long-lasting quality and classical designs that never go out of style. When you see our Meisterstuck 149, which is the most famous writing instrument in the world, it is a design which was made in 1924 and has remained unchanged. It is an 85-year-old design and is exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. So, in a way you can say it's not in fashion, but that is also why it will never be out of fashion as well. Quite simply, it's a classic in its own right. And I think the same is happening in the luxury watches sector.

Our writing instruments, watches and accessories have stood the test of time, and generations have inherited them through the years. That's why it is a good investment.

How important is CSR to Mont Blanc?

The philosophy of Mont Blanc encompasses the thought that successful companies should give back to society. We have been active in various fields, and classical music is one of the areas we have concentrated on in the past.

We have brought out limited edition donation pens for Herbert Von Karajan, Yehudi Menuhin, Leonard Bernstein, and many other greats. We donate the revenues generated from the sale of these products to different orchestras as well as towards the education of young talents. Through some of our projects we support modern art.

We have other projects which are independent from the limited editions or the donation pens, for example, last year we worked closely with Unicef. One year we had a special Meisterstuck Unicef edition and10 per cent of the revenue from it was donated to Unicef. We also collected $5 million which was donated to Unicef for the support of educational programmes around the world.

What do you value most?

Authenticity. I think we live inan artificial world and you seea lot of it, whether on televisionor in the movies. You see peoplejust conforming.

I'd rather enjoy the authentic real world and an honest discussion. Of course, these dreams are necessary, but in real life I would appreciate itif things are direct and open.