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O Times Magazine, 18.4.2026
This cover story explores the inspiring journey and thought leadership of Michaela Merk, an internationally recognized expert and speaker in leadership, luxury and customer experience. Drawing on a global career with leading brands such as L’Oréal, Estée Lauder, and Marionnaud, she challenges the dominant belief that data and technology are the ultimate drivers of business success.
Instead, Merk introduces Relational Intelligence (RI) as the true competitive advantage. Beyond IQ and EQ, RI focuses on the quality of human connections—between leaders and teams, brands and customers. Her research and real-world experience demonstrate that companies investing in human relationships significantly increase customer loyalty, employee engagement, and long-term performance.
Blending academic rigor with practical leadership, she advocates for a new model of management built on empathy, trust, pride, gratitude, and purpose. Her philosophy is particularly relevant in the age of artificial intelligence, where she positions AI not as a replacement for humans, but as a tool to enhance human connection and “augment humanity.”
As a professor, keynote speaker, board advisor and author of her latest book « The Power of Relational Intelligence », Michaela Merk is shaping the leaders of tomorrow—leaders who understand that sustainable success comes from meaningful relationships, both with people and the planet.
