Biography | Julian Keller
Swiss by birth, Julian Keller had an upbringing different than most. All four of his grandparents had survived the Holocaust, his mother’s parents, the Meiers, escaping Germany to Switzerland before the borders closed while his father’s mother was hidden by family friends and his father’s father survived Auschwitz with no other family surviving.
His grandfather, Adrian Keller, worked his way up from a cleaning boy in a jewelry store in Zurich, learning the intricacies of Swiss watch production. Eventually, Adrian and Alois Meier met in the local synagogue. Their families became friends and the two went into business together, creating Keller & Meier Jewelry. Arian handled design and production while Alois was much better at the business end of things, having previously worked in Swiss banks. When their children got married [it was only a matter of time], it was under the assumption that the next generation would take over the family business.
Julian’s father, Luca, and his mother, Jana, had been sweethearts since childhood, due in large part to their parents’ stories. His entire life, Luca had been taught about jewelry-making and though he favored watch production and mechanisms, he was quite adept at design. Jana worked in estate jewelry repair and it really was a family business for many years. By the time Luca officially took over the business, the jewelry store was still well-known only in Switzerland and a few parts of Germany.
Because of this, Julian grew up religiously Jewish and was never given anything he did not earn. He swept floors in the jewelry store during his formative years and in his spare time, learned business and jewelry-making from both of his grandfathers. When he was 15 years old, his father expanded the store, opening a second location in Vienna, which was handled by his younger brother. Julian had a very good education, one of the few things his parents sacrificed for, and he attended private school his entire life. After finishing secondary school, Julian went onto university and then to business school, coming home in the summers to work in the jewelry store. Though he knew a bit about design, it was business that was his passion. He began to work on a business plan for further expansion of Keller and Meier Jewelry, a plan that his parents and grandparents supported.
Now 31, Julian has control of his family’s corporation, now simply called Keller’s, while his father runs the flagship store in Zurich and has complete control over design of their products. The first step in his expansion is to add a smaller store under the Keller umbrella – an almost boutique-style shop more reminiscent of old-fashioned neighborhood stores instead of the large chains that dominate shopping centers. He’s starting his new concept in Prague, with his uncle working at design and production, while he works the book ends of things.
Julian considers himself a Conservative Jew, though a rather lax one at that. He can be quite witty and charming when he wants to be, though he is definitely ambitious. Julian knows he has the ability to make Keller’s a multinational, billion-dollar corporation, but it will come at the expense of his personal life. He has a few friends, but he’s a bit of a loner due to the fact that he’s always been doing something – whether that’s work, education, reading, etc. Family is of prime importance to Julian and it is incredibly important to him that his grandparents’ legacies survive – after all they went through, he would rather let love slip away than let their legacy tarnish. Financially, he’s well off, though he still has to take care with what he purchases, and he chooses to buy luxury brands that last a long time rather than cheap imitations. In his spare time, Julian enjoys reading, the opera, and traveling, though he always takes the time to go back to Zurich each month. He’s the oldest of three children, with two sisters currently at university. While he doesn’t see them often, he stays in touch with them often.
