Gary Neville and Ben Küffer embody a modern meeting point of strategic leadership and contemporary Swiss watchmaking. Neville, whose business portfolio spans multiple high-performing ventures and employs more than 700 people, brings a sharpened investment instinct and a level of cultural influence that extends far beyond traditional brand ambassadorship. His role with Norqain reflects how discerning leaders back businesses with substance, not noise.
Ben Küffer established Norqain with a clear ambition: to build a new Swiss watch brand rooted in authenticity, craft, and long-term relevance. His vision respects the traditions of horology while pushing the category forward with meaningful innovation. The result is a brand resonating with a new generation of collectors—those who value heritage, but also expect originality, purpose, and a modern point of view.
Ben, when establishing NORQAIN within the Swiss watchmaking sector, what exciting qualities did you envision in a brand ambassador who could genuinely embody your founding vision? And Gary, what inspired you to recognise that this partnership offered something more meaningful than a conventional endorsement opportunity?
BEN: “For me, it has always been important at NORQAIN: we’re a challenger brand, so we naturally look for people who share that challenger spirit and who truly want to help build a brand, not just be a poster boy or part of a billboard campaign.That’s why working with Gary felt like a dream match from the start. He’s a great athlete, which fits perfectly with NORQAIN’s sporty DNA, but he’s also a fantastic and highly respected entrepreneur. Seeing Gary and NORQAIN come together feels completely natural.
“I loved our first call, after just a short time presenting our challenger spirit and what we stand for, Gary immediately connected with it and agreed to join the NORQAIN brand. It all came together very naturally.”
GARY: “When we first sat down it became obvious to me that I wanted to be part of it, to be more than an ambassador and actually invest in the company and build with them. The values that are important to me when I invest are the people and that there’s a shared passion between us and that was evident from speaking to Ben and the rest of the team straight away.”
Gary, your portfolio spans over 700 employees across multiple thriving business ventures, whilst Ben, you’ve built a Swiss luxury brand from inception. How do your different experiences in scaling operations and establishing brand foundations create a powerful synergy, and what unique opportunities emerge when these perspectives combine?
BEN: “Of course, for me it’s always very exciting to talk to Gary, because he has experience across different sectors, not just one. From hospitality to production and marketing, he brings a broad perspective, and that makes every conversation really inspiring.
“In the end, we were essentially talking about the same thing: how do you scale a culture? Every successful company is built on a strong culture, and the real challenge is to keep that culture alive as you grow. That’s something we both agree on completely. I think that’s also why we get along so well and why this partnership feels so natural. We share the same mindset and the same challenger spirit, and that’s a strong foundation for working together.”
GARY: “All of my companies have been start-ups. Everything has been about taking an idea and going on the journey with it from getting the right people and building a spirit in the team, to the brand and its identity, to partnerships and relationships and everything else.
“Every one of those start-ups has been in a different industry, so I think that helps, going through the process several times and applying those learnings each time. As long as you’re passionate about the industry you’re in and what you’re building, that’s hopefully what I can bring to the team at NORQAIN.”
The relationship between founder and ambassador can create remarkable synergies when built on authentic connection. Could you both share the inspiring moment when you recognised this collaboration would flourish, and how have those initial instincts shaped the tangible decisions you’ve made together since?
BEN: “Definitely our first discussion. When you’re having that initial conversation, you immediately feel the energy, and that’s exactly what happened. We talked openly about how we would tackle the challenge of bringing NORQAIN to the UK: Gary sharing everything he could bring to the table, and me explaining what I was ready to commit to for NORQAIN in this market.
“And then, of course, there were those more personal moments like talking about skiing in Zermatt and already agreeing, during that very first discussion, to plan a ski weekend together with our families. That kind of connection shows that everything is set for a great partnership. There was genuine sympathy, a shared challenger spirit, and mutual respect. All the elements you need to truly build something.”
GARY: “As soon as I heard about the brand I was interested to learn more about what Ben and the team had planned for it, to learn about the story of how it came together and about them as people. We had a conversation and it felt like there was something there between us from the beginning.
“It’s so important to work with people you get along with and as soon as we had that foundation, we both felt that there could be something in working together. In terms of working together since, it’s been a case of continuing to build that relationship with each other and understanding what the brand is trying to do and knowing how I can support that, helping Ben and the team to grow the brand in the UK.”
Swiss watchmaking has always evolved whilst honouring its heritage. How does your partnership help NORQAIN appeal to both traditional collectors and a new generation entering the luxury timepiece market with different expectations about what makes a watch worth owning?
BEN: “Yeah, it’s a really exciting question because it perfectly summarizes NORQAIN’s journey. When we started, we definitely connected with that second group of new customers, people who saw a fresh brand doing something different, even if they weren’t really in the watch market yet. And that made sense, because it was our first collection.
“Today, collectors are also following NORQAIN and supporting the brand, especially as we continue to innovate. I think collectors have a choice: they can go for the beautiful, traditional heritage brands which we respect a lot, or they can choose brands that are more future-oriented, challenging, and innovative. NORQAIN is clearly one of those brands. So as a collector, I’m sure both categories are exciting. But we sit firmly in that second category: the innovation-driven brands.”
GARY: “I’m new to the world of watches and it’s been a journey of learning for me to go on. It’s definitely something I’ve started to develop a passion for, which I think is a good thing. I can talk about it from my perspective as somebody who is new to this space but sees how passionate everyone in it is and I do think the two can co-exist, those who have been doing it for a long time and those who are new to it and NORQAIN is a brand that can speak to both.”
Successful business leaders often discover that collaboration amplifies their individual strengths in unexpected ways. What valuable insights have you each gained from the other’s approach to building and scaling ventures, and how has this partnership enhanced your own thinking about creating enduring value?
BEN: “I think what’s exciting is the example of Soccer Aid. Just to give you a sense of it: for me, successful entrepreneurship often comes down to strong gut feeling and fast decision-making. And with Gary, the first time we talked about Soccer Aid, we both immediately said, ‘That’s our entry into the UK market. That’s going to be the launch event.
“Gary moved quickly, made the contact, and we got the deal signed in a very short time. On my side, I made the call right away to make sure we could move forward. And I think that’s really what scaling a business is about, you don’t get that many opportunities, so when one appears, you need to recognise it, seize it, and take the right opportunities fast. And that’s something Gary and I share: we both like to act quickly and decisively.”
GARY: “The reason why I go into business with people is because I feel we have the same shared values, and that’s really important. When you surround yourself with people who are driven, loyal and want to achieve great things together, that’s special and you will all have different skills, backgrounds and talents, and they’re all unlocked by being able to work well together. That’s what I feel I’m seeing from Ben and the team, they have amazing skills and talent in something I don’t, but we’re aligned in how we think and operate and that makes it work.”
Gary, your prominent social media presence and public profile offer remarkable opportunities to connect directly with audiences in ways traditional marketing cannot. How do you both harness this advantage authentically, and what exciting possibilities does this direct engagement create for communicating Norqain’s story and values?
BEN: “I really think we’re in a great moment where authenticity, and authentic content, is key. Just like I mentioned earlier about billboard campaigns and simply being on a poster, today it’s about much more than that.
“Social media gives people the chance to see what’s happening behind the scenes. It allows them to understand that Gary and I are genuinely challenging the market together, discussing how we can move things forward, and showing that Gary is actively involved, from retail visits to key meetings. And that’s exactly what we need to share on social media.
“People don’t want to see another traditional campaign. They want to see the real story: how Gary is involved at NORQAIN, how we work together, and how we’re building this journey in a very authentic way. That’s the kind of content people connect with today.”
GARY: “When I work with a partner I have to make sure that it’s authentic to me. I have to make sure that I like the people and I want to create something together. I’ve always been interested in long-term projects and I think that’s where everyone gets something great out of it. So hopefully people know that when I do partner with a brand, it’s genuine and our values are aligned. I think people can tell now if you’re doing it for the wrong reasons, they spot it a mile off.”
Strategic partnerships in luxury sectors flourish when both parties remain committed to elevating quality and craftsmanship. From your different vantage points as founder and business partner, how do you identify opportunities that advance both market growth and the exceptional standards that define NORQAIN?
BEN: “It’s always about setting high standards. And I think if you look at Gary’s career, or at NORQAIN when we started, it’s clear that without high standards, you can’t achieve big dreams.
“For me, with NORQAIN, it’s really about finding the right balance between setting those high standards and making big dreams feel possible. It’s demotivating if you say you want to win the Champions League with a team that’s still in the first division, no one will believe in that goal. But if you have a strong team and you set ambitions that are very high, but still achievable in a dream scenario, then that becomes incredibly motivating. And I think that’s true in both sports and business: the key is to set high standards.”
GARY: “I think first it’s about maintaining the standard you’ve set in the beginning. Ben and the NORQAIN team have got this far by holding themselves to a certain standard and delivering on what they’ve said they will do, and if they can be consistent with that then they’ve got a great chance of going further in the market. They have to innovate, but more importantly they have to keep doing what has got them this far in the first place.”
Looking towards an exciting future beyond immediate commercial objectives, what inspiring legacy do you hope this partnership creates, both for NORQAIN as a brand and as an exemplary model for how founders and business leaders can collaborate to build something genuinely exceptional in competitive luxury markets?
BEN: “Gary and I are partnering because we share the same vision for NORQAIN in the UK: to build a strong, independent brand that stands out, something different, something refreshing and fun, in a very traditional watch market. We want to bring something new to collectors in the UK and also attract new customers who will join us on this adventure.
“I truly believe this is what will define NORQAIN and make it special: we’re building this from zero, starting now in the UK, and doing it in our own way. I’m very confident that our legacy will be the strong community of watch lovers we create, people who appreciate that NORQAIN is doing something completely different in today’s market.”
GARY: “The opportunity for NORQAIN in the UK is massive and that in itself is something that is a journey that one day you’ll look back on and think about how amazing it was to make that happen. Showing everyone that the way that you do that as a team is to bring great people together who are passionate about something and want to achieve it together.”