Gioia Gerlin, Head of Product Management Technology joined ON in 2015, right before the brand kicked off its global growth strategy
ON really lets me be that type of empathic leader
In 2010, Swiss Ironman champion Olivier Bernhard, alongside David Allemann and Caspar Coppetti, founded ON in Zürich. Bernhard’s quest for a new running sensation led him to experiment with garden hose segments, aiming to create a unique cushioning system. This innovation birthed their trademark registered CloudTec, a technology designed to provide a soft landing followed by an explosive take-off. Despite initial rejections, including from Bernhard’s former sponsor Nike, the trio launched ON, introducing a novel approach to running footwear.
The company’s growth trajectory has been remarkable. By 2020, ON’s products were available in over 6,000 retailers across 55 countries, with the United States emerging as its largest market. In 2021, ON went public, further solidifying its global presence. The brand’s appeal transcends athletic performance, attracting more and more consumers through collaborations with figures like Roger Federer and partnerships with luxury brands such as Loewe. In 2024, ON reported net sales of CHF 2.32 billion, marking a 29.4% increase from the previous year, with a net income of CHF 242.3 million.
Gioia Gerlin joined the ON team in 2015. Born in Italy, Gioia studied Foreign Languages and Literature in Venice. That she would end up being in a purely technical role is something she would have never thought. “I left Italy after university without a solid plan – I fell in love with London, so I wanted to give it a try”, ON’s head of prod++uct management technology shares. “I’ve worked in so many countries, but here in Switzerland I kind of found my roots” meaning: she married, gave birth to two children.
If Gioia’s life were a book, the title would most likely be something like: it happened by accident. “I heard all my life that I’m so good at languages and my sister is so good at math! So every time when I worked with tech people, I thought they must be geniuses! They seemed to be always engaged in clever conversations on how to resolve problems. It seemed challenging and very smart, and I think my interest came from the fact that I knew little of what they did. It was unknown to me, and also unattainable. And I believe this is what made it so fascinating. I was fascinated by problem solving, I wanted to understand how technology could help resolve problems. And I wanted to be part of that group of people who resolve people’s problems”.
Her leadership career started at Oakley as sales operation manager for Italy. Within 6 years she moved through the ranks and became IT manager for the whole EMEA region. “I didn’t have a formally built tech background, but as I spoke the languages in the markets Oakley had just opened, so they gave me a chance – and I took it!”. Gioia smiles all over her face and one can sense that she’s still proud of having taken this job opportunity despite the fact that she had no technical background in her education. She only needed one thing: a leap of faith. It only takes one unexpected opportunity, and her advice would be: be open to it. “Because there are no set rules on how we can grow to choose and love a profession”.
What still sits with her is her deep rooted passion for writing. Not writing codes, but writing a journal. “It has been accompanying me through the years and it’s part of that introspection work that you do and also how you take the chance to either decompress, reflect, and detach from other work and family related challenges. It’s a bit of my holy space that I still cultivate till this day. I think it allows me to detach, then find the empathy first towards myself and then towards others, towards the people I lead”.
Despite the fact that ON has grown to be an international company, the original DNA of the founders can still be found, meaning: the culture and the values of this global firm could survive the growth strategy – in a quite unique manner. “ON really lets me be that type of empathic leader. When I joined the company in 2015 we had round about 100 people. And you know, they hired me although I was 42 and with a 7 month old baby at home. This company gave me lots of trust. Sure, things have changed – technology grew so much and we hired 200 people in the IT department alone. But the fundamental values that were keeping us together 10 years ago are still there, we as leaders can still embrace them”. The values of ON became her second nature is how she puts it. I can feel how grateful Gioia is to this day that they had trust in her.
At ON she leads a team of product managers responsible for a variety of software products, from ERP to CRM platforms, from integrations to in-house developed applications and she conceptualises product roadmaps and strategies according to business priorities and strategic objectives.
But this role also created a space for her amazing trouble shooting skills: “So I think I’ve always liked that – problem solving – I really like this, you know, we have a problem, doesn’t matter how complex it is. And now together we’re going to try and solve it. Like anything that is going to support ON’s vision and mission. That’s never boring!”
Since Gioia joined the company, the business model changed thoroughly. Direct to Consumer is more and more key and constantly growing; “It’s growing higher than around 40%. Digital Channels have become key drivers of in-store traffic. That said, wholesale is still a major pillar for us. And one important piece of this success is Salesforce”. ON has been a Salesforce client for more than 10 years. Their tailor-made platform grew and developed hand in hand with the company’s growth – seamlessly and gracefully, as Gioia points out. “We also experiment a lot with Salesforce AI. We are keen to ensure a broader balance of values. Sometimes there are some easy, quick wins when looking at AI in terms of getting mundane tasks done faster, offering a better service and being there for our customers 24/7. But we’re also not underestimating the human aspect. That is something that has also made a difference in these 10 years. But in general, we are trying to understand where we can leverage AI in relation to anticipate the needs of our customers. What are their questions? What would their queries be when they buy something? What else would they like to know about a certain product? About the story behind the product? We want that our customers can make a conscious decision and Salesforce helps us a lot in getting there”.
People are definitely much more interested today in trying to understand where the products are from, what drives the company’s sustainability, how conscious ON is about the environment than they were a decade ago. What seems to be a core reason why ON is so incredibly thriving is the tight connection to their customer base. “Social media has played a super important role for us in the way that we were trying to connect to different types of customers and different types of people, whatever their passions are. Not everyone runs marathons or trains every day. So, we’re trying to create that connection for people to feel the brand in whatever way they can relate to what our mission is, which is “ignite the human spirit through movement”.
Salesforce has obviously also been a reliable partner for managing all the social media platforms from one dashboard. Social media grew and drove ON’s business. But managing all the channels is one thing, connecting with others in a meaningful and truthful way, is another. “We embrace diversity and we accept that there are people with different opinions. It’s truly part of who we are at ON. And we stay true to what we are and where we’re coming from”. So what could drive the future success of a brand like ON? – Gioia is sure that the leverage they gain through Salesforce will be the anticipation of customer needs and optimising demand and supply. “That’s where you can really create huge benefits for your customers in the future because everything is faster, available quicker and you can offer an even better service. But in maybe five years from now, I’m quite sure that AI will be like a second nature to us”.
E-commerce and online touchpoints for sales, storytelling and creating a movement, communities, a sense of belonging on social media – that’s a big part of a success story for a brand today. Social media is like a “connecting tissue that brings the communities and people together” – but the core value of ON to move, is something you do purely offline.
ON’s amazing story started among friends who made a great team. And that’s something that lives on throughout the company. This feeling of “we are a team” and “nobody’s left behind” remained incredibly strong and created this magical ripple effect that still exists today. “Something that I can relate to is being explorers at heart, because so often we have dived into the unknown. We didn’t know so many things 10 years ago, and we went from a footwear concept to designing and developer apparel, and more categories of products. And often we stepped dived into what we didn’t know at the time, just with the spirit of discovering. I think it’s truly challenging, it’s scary sometimes, but also motivating to take this leap of faith. And I’ve seen myself in my life, being a little bit of an explorer at heart. We still see ourselves as a community of learners. We learn together, we explore, and then we build together”.
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