From innovating to changing the values of the company from within, this is how Kristian Tear is taking his company out of the pandemic and into the future
How I’m Making It is a weekly series in which Tatler speaks to influential individuals about their unique journeys and what keeps them going.
Bang & Olufsen has long been known for its innovation, style and impeccable attention to audio detail so when we were invited down to its new store in Scotts Square to speak to its CEO Kristian Tear over the Formula One weekend, we were brimming with questions.
Step into the minimalist and pristine store and one will immediately be treated to the sound of Bang & Olufsen's new soundbar in action. The Beosound Theatre, a gorgeous new bar with 12 custom drivers that direct sound from above, below and to the sides of your screen is the latest in its slew of audio innovations. We were lucky enough to be one of the first in Singapore to experience its full capabilities.
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Soon after, Tear joined us in the store, fresh out of a meeting and with just an hour before he was to head to the qualifiers of the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix 2022.
“What do you think? Impressive, right?” he asked us before sitting down to begin our chat. The CEO, who operates out of Europe and travels heavily, certainly knows a thing or two about innovation, having led major technology companies such as Blackberry, Sony Mobile Communications and Ericsson throughout his career.
“I’ve always been curious about building things and figuring out how they work,” he shared when asked how he got into engineering. “Even when I was young I was trying to build things like my grandmother’s alarm bell that I would take apart but couldn’t quite put together again. So I guess engineering was in there from the get-go,” he continued.
This was what propelled him to get a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and to then join Ericsson in 1987 as its director in Sweden, a role he held for 10 years.
Forward-looking and decisive, Tear began to climb the ladder and over the next eight years, took on the role of president of Central America, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein before heading up its South East Asia branch in 2004.
“I think it’s good to have experience with bigger companies because they have a lot of experience and processes as well as training programmes. You really get to learn different skill sets and over the years, you learn to step on the accelerator hard and also when you need to break,” Tear shared.
