As On celebrates its 15th birthday, Chief Commercial Officer Britt Olsen talked to JD Sports CEO Regis Schultz at World Retail Congress in London this morning about success, challenges and how sustainability had evoked many conversations within the company.

“Seeing a brand grow that was dominated by big players in the market is never down to just one thing,” Olsen told delegates about the company’s success within a crowded market. “Coming into an industry of giants, it was an advantage being the underdog. Our success is also down to naivety and blind optimism. Culturally we have a strong focus on innovation too.”

She said that the company had been reflecting on its leadership as it had moved from a small business to a large one and was now at a stage where it wanted to change and adapt.

“Now we’re in an era where our mistakes are not behind closed doors! As we celebrate our 15th birthday as a company, I joke we’re just like a 15-year-old human too. Like a teenager, we love all the evolving tech around AI but it’s a question of what to chase, and what not to chase,” Olsen said while stressing that the Swiss flag on the company’s products was important to its US audience and marked a “premiumness”’ associated with Switzerland and tennis superstar Roger Federer.

“Our Swiss flag is symbolic of the principles we have as an organisation. Design, impact and sustainability are key for us. We also strive to be a balanced brand. As a young growing brand, our wholesale partners are very important to us,” she said.

“Sustainability is key too. I’m often asked if our customers care and the truth is they don’t. But we do! We want to be sustainable because it’s a key value. We care and we make sure we invest in sustainability – which is very Swiss. How we talk about sustainability is a constant point of discussion for us however,” Olsen added.

“We are disruptors too. We have to be. Being a Swiss brand, you have to leave Switzerland. We had to plan to grow globally. If I think of Asia, we are very much disrupting the space and, in the US, we are seeing hyper growth. If you think of us as a 15-year-old teen, this is super exciting!”

Olsen said that the company had built its story and that she wanted to use On’s products to build on that, expanding its retail channel and in all On stores a major refocus on “excellence, innovation and brilliant storytelling.”