Anna Lundstrom Is Turning the Everyday Cup of Coffee into a Luxury Experience

Anna Lundstrom’s passion for creativity and crafting experiences of the highest standard has been a red thread throughout her career. Her first taste of Nespresso came almost 15 years ago, working with global communications firm Weber Shandwick in her hometown of Geneva, Switzerland, and she was later invited to join the in-house PR team for the luxury coffee company. Anna then went on to learn the ropes at a number of different luxury and fashion brands, such as Chanel and Louis Vuitton. Her journey came full circle in her return to Nespresso as the chief brand officer, where her team works to inspire and excite their customers through stories that turn the everyday coffee moment into a true luxury experience. They operate on the belief that it’s crucial to celebrate and stay true to brand heritage, but it’s also important to move with the times and curate a brand experience that resonates with the culture of today. ADWEEK: How did you get to where you are today? LUNDSTROM: Even though I can map it out now, I’ve never had a straight career plan but I have always found myself drawn to luxury brands and ever-evolving challenges faced by the industry. I have always held the belief that you should seize every opportunity and only do a job as long as you are learning from it, have the courage to take risks and try new things. Challenging the status quo is how we break the mould and make big things happen, something I learned through our work in creating authentic brand collaborations. How do you foster strong professional relationships as you grow in your career? When it comes to building authentic professional relationships, you have to be true to yourself and do what comes naturally. For me, this is about networking with people who share your interests and can help you grow and develop your passions. Along with shared values, it’s important to choose mentors whom you can see yourself in. Having inspiring women to look up to in positions you aspire to hold can help drive you forward and allows you to see their career path. Now that I am in a leadership position, I always try to find the time to connect with up-and-coming talent and share my experiences with them. What’s one way you’ve invested in yourself that’s had the most impact within the past year? In the last year, when we haven’t been able to engage with the world through visiting new places and meeting new people in the ways we normally would, I’ve found inspiration in conversations with friends and family, books and podcasts. For me, it’s the things we gain in these moments that somehow further down the line come together and make your work bigger and more exciting. How do you view work-life integration, especially now, and what advice can you share with others who may be struggling with it? In a world where we are always expected to be connected, it can be hard to take breaks. I am lucky in the sense that I really enjoy what I do and so it doesn’t create stress for me to be so close to my work. That being said, I still consciously try to block time just for me, be that going for a run or to Pilates. A culture of care is something we on the leadership team work so hard to foster. It’s important to me that I let my team know when I’m taking time to switch off as it’s the best way to create a healthy work culture. If the best time for someone to go on a run is at 10 AM, that is exactly what they should do. What advice do you have for other women on how to overcome typecasting at work? Within my team, I try to show how powerful it can be when women support other women to elevate their voices and break the often harmful stereotypes surrounding women in business. I try to show how powerful it can be when women support other women to elevate their voices and break the often harmful stereotypes surrounding women in business. Educating ourselves and one another is key, particularly among leadership teams. It’s only when we have learned about the pre-conceived narratives surrounding us that we can begin to see and challenge both our own and others’ unconscious biases. What’s one tip you can share or something you’ve learned on how to handle salary negotiations or raises? Know your market value and stay educated on this. Be confident, be assertive. By definition, these types of conversations are a negotiation so you don’t want to leave anything on the table. Be prepared to ask but with a clear understanding of what a reasonable ask is. Who has helped you in your journey and how did they help shape your career? I’m sure my Scandinavian heritage has a lot to do with my passion for female empowerment. My mother instilled in me from a very young age a strong belief that women were equally capable of achieving great things through hard work and determination. What’s the single best piece of advice you’ve ever received? Learn to embrace being out of your comfort zone. When you are out of your comfort zone, you challenge yourself, develop new skills and ultimately grow. What does success mean for you? Success for me is about balance. When you find a balance between work and life, passion and practicalities, health and wealth everything comes together. 5 Everyday Ways to Invest in a Healthy Well-Being and Successful Career