If you want ordinary, look elsewhere — Martin Hoffmann is out to make On the world’s boldest sportswear brand yet

“How They See It” is where we delve into the minds of those shaping the future of today’s most dynamic companies. In this instalment, we speak with Martin Hoffmann, CEO of On. He offers a clear-eyed perspective on why disciplined innovation is essential for growth, how premium brands navigate global markets, and what it takes to build an enduring legacy in an industry defined by constant evolution.

“I’ve always believed in the discipline of numbers — those immutable truths that shape the course of a business — but the power of audacity equally persuades me, the almost reckless appetite to do things no one else has dared. This conviction became essential the moment I took the reins as sole CEO at On, right at the inflexion point: post-IPO, staring down the long corridor from hypergrowth into the more exacting halls of sustainable, global ambition.

The so-called tension between financial discipline and product innovation isn’t a true binary. It’s a dance. My years as CFO taught me the choreography: how to keep one hand on the tiller, steering the company’s growth with precision, while the other hand sketches wild, improbable ideas in the air — ideas that become real because we invest in them.

Every major decision, from doubling down on R&D to investing in athlete partnerships, bears the imprint of this alignment. We ignite the human spirit through movement, yes, but that only matters if every bet we make is deliberate, and every risk is mapped to a larger vision.

At On, that vision is unapologetically premium. Our signature CloudTec cushioning and the relentless engineering behind our Cloudboom models represent an obsession with performance, as well as a commitment to an experience that justifies its place at the very top of the market.

We’re aware, painfully so at times, of the criticism that comes from setting a high price, especially here in Asia. But my answer is simple: we offer a kind of value that isn’t reducible to cost alone. Performance, durability, design — these are non-negotiables for our community, who expect the best and refuse to compromise.

In Singapore, I see consumers who not only understand this but also demand it. They want products that last, brands that innovate, and a retail experience that feels personal.

The journey from a Swiss start-up to a name that means something in New York, Singapore, and everywhere in between required a certain stubbornness — what I call “Swiss-style growth.” It’s less a style, really, than a way of thinking: precision engineering, obsessive attention to detail, and a slow-burning, almost methodical approach to expansion.

Yet, entering new markets — especially in Asia — demanded something more nimble. We learnt quickly that imposing Swiss precision without local agility leads to irrelevance. Our growth here is heavily focused on partnerships and authentic, community-led activation. The best results come when we allow local culture to shape the brand experience, without ever diluting the core principles that brought us here.

As someone with a deep affinity for the sanctity of a balance sheet, I keep a close eye on every franc, dollar, or Singaporean cent we invest. But I’m not sentimental about it. We make bold, strategic bets — whether it’s launching new brick-and-mortar stores, expanding into apparel, or deepening our ties with icons like Roger Federer and Iga Świątek — because each one advances our central aim: to define, and then redefine, what a premium sportswear brand can be.

Our retail stores, like the new Jewel Changi flagship, were a risk on paper but proved transformational in practice. I was taken aback, at first, by the energy these spaces unlocked. They became hubs — places where people connect, join community runs, and trial the head-to-toe On experience. It turns out that, even in a digital era, people crave connection — to products, to one another, and a larger movement.

That desire for connection feeds directly into our sustainability ambitions, which are anything but a side project. When we created the Cloudboom Strike LS, employing robotic, minimal-component manufacturing, it wasn’t simply about innovation for its own sake. 

Circularity is a colossal challenge in footwear: separating materials for recycling, ensuring the output meets our standards, building the infrastructure for returns, and — perhaps most challenging — changing consumer behaviour at scale. Too few people return their shoes at the end of their lives, so the loop remains open.

We’re addressing this, not only through advances like CleanCloud material science, but also by driving consumer education and collaborating across the industry. Real circularity requires a mindset shift, and no single brand can achieve it alone.

If I have a legacy in mind for On, it’s this: I want us to be the brand that never stopped moving — never stopped chasing the outermost edges of performance, design, and sustainability. Revenue and footprint matter, but what endures is culture.

I want people to see On as the brand that blurred the line between athletic and everyday, that built communities as well as products, and that lived its “Dream On” mentality unapologetically. Every person who laces up a pair of our shoes should feel a little more empowered, a little more connected — to movement, to possibility, to one another.

This is what keeps me up at night and gets me out of bed in the morning — the knowledge that the best work, the work that outlasts market cycles and fashion trends, is built on a foundation of precision, but animated by a restlessness that never quite lets you be satisfied. To me, that’s what it means to lead. That’s what it means to build something worthy of lasting.”