Paul Ashworth, CEO - BERNINA North America - Quality, Innovation, Performance…Walking the Talk

British by birth, Paul Ashworth is an avowed world traveler and has lived and worked in multiple countries. Bernina of America represents half of Bernina's business worldwide, and during his time there, he has successfully grown the business by over 65%. When asked what brought him to Bernina, he says, “…I guess you can say it’s luck.” He shares that if someone had told him he’d one day be joining the sewing industry, he probably would have chuckled to himself. He had it in his head that the wine and spirits industry was where he belonged, but when BERNINA approached him with the opportunity to be its CEO, he couldn’t pass it up. When asked what inspires him on a daily basis, he doesn’t miss a beat before exclaiming it’s the passion, the people, and the power of the brand. He talks about waking up daily, thrilled at the opportunity to move the company and the brand forward. He believes that his European background enables him to bring a unique perspective as to what the Swiss might be thinking. He also talks about working with premium and luxury products—from the Louis Vuitton Hennessy group to BERNINA—and how critical it is to work with the BERNINA dealers to bring a product to life, nurture the product, maintain its premium appeal, and never dilute the brand. (3:55-6:52) When he talks about how BERNINA on the outside BERNINA on the inside is, he explains that the passionate professionals at BERNINA make and control every step of the production, manufacturing, and sourcing process. He goes on to explain that every product, across every segment it competes in, is made in its own production facilities. He explains that this type of precision, control, and craftsmanship is part of the brand and the company’s DNA. He takes great pride in the fact that the company doesn’t outsource anything, and that includes their new longarm machines and high-end sergers. I shared with him that while many of our guests didn’t start out on a BERNINA, they always aspired to owning one, and once they got one, they ultimately got more. He says that is quite common, because once you get into using the best, one is never enough. He talks about how BERNINA is very much about quality stitches. “It is,” he says, “a bit of an obsession.” Once people work on a BERNINA, they can see, hear, and feel the difference. (15:07- 18:44) The more we talk, the more apparent it becomes that Paul is truly passionate about the people he works with. As he continues with the details of his time at BERNINA and his insights into the industry, his pride in being part of this family-owned company is evident. It’s not surprising that he shares 30% of his time on developing and nurturing talent. Mr. Ashworth is convinced that everyone who is part of the BERNINA team shares his commitment to ensuring that every aspect of the BERNINA experience is a quality one, and that everything works together to enhance the sewist’s creativity. Everything from the parts to the dealerships, the software to the technology, the in-store offerings to the online classes, is designed to create a premium user experience. It’s not surprising then that the relationship between the sewist and their BERNINA becomes a sort of love affair. (21:49 - 37:36 If you’d like to know more about the vision of the company and its leader, you can visit Bernina.com or reach out to Mr. Ashworth himself at pashworth@berninausa.com If you know someone who has an outstanding story that should be shared on this podcast, drop Meg a note to info@soandsopodcast.com or complete the form on our website. Be sure to subscribe to, review and rate this podcast on your favorite platform…and visit our website sewandsopodcast.com for more information about today’s and all of our Guests.