Nadja is Chair of the Swarovski Foundation, a UK charity which she established in 2013 to foster culture and creativity, promote human empowerment and preserve the environment globally. She also heads up the Swarovski Waterschool, which is active in six continents teaching youth about water conservation. Both philanthropic organizations are focused on the delivery of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Nadja was the first female member of the Executive Board of Swarovski, which was founded in Austria by her great-great-grandfather Daniel Swarovski in 1895. With a mission to bring Swarovski to the forefront of the fashion industry and elevate the brand’s perception, she led the Branding, Sustainability and Licensing divisions and launched the luxury fashion jewelry brand Atelier Swarovski.

Her career at the family business started in the mid-1990s, when she began showcasing Swarovski’s crystal range to the fashion, jewelry, architecture, lighting and home décor industries, encouraging designers to discover crystal’s creative potential. The resulting collaborations and partnerships established her as one of the 21st century’s most significant patrons of design talent.

In 2016 Nadja was made a Chevalier de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and in 2019 she received an honorary doctorate from the University of the Arts London. Nadja holds Board-level positions at UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, FIT Foundation and the German Fashion Council and is a member of The Nature Conservancy’s European Council for Global Conservation.