====== Urquhart, Stephen ======
**Stephen "Steve" Urquhart** was co-manager of [[Audemars Piguet]] before moving to [[Swatch Group]] to head [[Blancpain]] and [[Omega]], which he leads [[as of 2021]].

===== Biography =====
Stephen Urquhart began his career in watches in [[1968]] working in the marketing and product development areas of [[Omega]].

In [[1974]], Urquhart moved to [[Audemars Piguet]]. In [[1987]], Urquhart was named Commercial Manager of Audemars Piguet, serving alongside [[Meylan, Georges-Henri|Georges-Henri Meylan]] who focused on production. Urquhart and Meylan were successful in their co-leadership of the brand, but an audit late in the 1990s revealed a disagreement over the direction of the brand. Urquhart left, and Meylan quickly implemented drastic changes to move up-market and solidify the financial position of the company.

Urquhart was brought in to [[Swatch Group]] by [[Hayek, Nicolas|Nicolas G. Hayek]] to succeed [[Biver, Jean-Claude|Jean-Claude Biver]] as Managing Director of [[Blancpain]]. This fit his talents well after Audemars Piguet, and he was soon moved to be President of [[Omega]], replacing [[Sofisti, Michele|Michele Sofisti]]. This was the same career path followed by Biver a decade earlier. Urquhart worked under Biver for the next few years, his old mentor at Omega.

Urquhart's leadership saw Omega continue the growth initiated by Biver in the 1990s. The brand focused on heritage and innovation, focusing on the unique [[Co-Axial]] movement unveiled in [[1999]] and solidifying branding with the Olympic Games, James Bond films, and product ambassadors. Omega also followed Audemars Piguet in the creation of [[boutique|special branded sales outlets]] and deftly moved the brand to compete with [[Rolex]] in the minds of consumers.


{{tag>Biographies Audemars_Piguet Blancpain Omega}}