Patrik Bernstein (A): From suit to jeans
At the age of 35 Patrik Bernstein, currently the marketing manager for Unilever’s skin division in Indonesia, starts to feel that something is missing in his life. He had a great family, received invitations to fancy dinners, had a nice house and car and enough money in the bank. But all this no longer motivated or excited him. He needed something else. He was on the fast track at Unilever and had a career path ahead of him. But everything was changing very quickly – too quickly. And then there was the corporate politics… That evening in Jakarta was to change Bernstein’s and his family’s life forever. He came up with a business idea and in parallel to his corporate career started to develop it. Three years later, in 1995, he left Unilever and embarked on his journey. Convincing his wife to do it was the hardest part of all – Bernstein was honest with her: Dodi, I’ve got to do this. I am not happy like this. Let’s make a deal. We go to Sweden – schools are free there – and we can live in our summer house and we cut our costs. We stay one year to get it off the ground and then we will see what we do. With his powers of persuasion Bernstein managed to win his wife over, and so the family left their financial security behind and set off on a journey that was going to be much rougher than they could ever have expected…
Cranfield University
Wharley End Beds MK43 0JR, UK
Tel +44 (0)1234 750903
Email [email protected]
Harvard Business School Publishing
60 Harvard Way, Boston MA 02163, USA
Tel (800) 545-7685 Tel (617)-783-7600
Fax (617) 783-7666
Email [email protected]
NUCB Business School
1-3-1 Nishiki Naka
Nagoya Aichi, Japan 460-0003
Tel +81 52 20 38 111
Email [email protected]
IMD retains all proprietary interests in its case studies and notes. Without prior written permission, IMD cases and notes may not be reproduced, used, translated, included in books or other publications, distributed in any form or by any means, stored in a database or in other retrieval systems. For additional copyright information related to case studies, please contact Case Services.
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
In late 2021, Puneet Chhatwal, CEO of Indian Hotels Company Limited IHCL, found himself grappling with a new challenge beyond the impressive growth numbers the company had achieved since his tenure began in 2017 sustainability. Having led IHCL, t...

When a Saudi consortium led by utilities giant Acwa Power signed $8.3 billion in deals this July to build seven solar and wind projects across the kingdom, it marked more than just another line entry in the country’s growing clean energy portfolio...
in I by IMD
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
in I by IMD Brain Circuits 26 August 2025
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
in Foroughi, Hamid (Ed.); Casey, Andrea (Ed.); Coman, Sonia (Ed.) / Managing legacy and change: New frontiers for theory and practice, pp. 85-106 / Berlin: De Gruyter, 2025
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
in I by IMD
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Case reference: IMD-7-2648 ©2025
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications