Josie Cruz Natori, Filipina and founder of a small luxury empire: The Natori Company. The entrepreneur has crossed continents, traveled through different careers and overcome countless obstacles. In the end she has reached the finish line. Her brand, founded in America, has added jewelry to clothing and accessories. Josie Cruz Natori has won numerous awards for her business and has also served as Commissioner at the White House Small Business Conference in the past.
And to say she was a pianist: she performed with the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of nine. Natori moved to the United States in 1964, where she studied economics and became a US citizen. After graduating, she worked in securities brokerage and the investment bank Bache & Co. At 21, she was already deputy director of the bank’s branch in the Philippines. Back in New York, she worked at Merrill Lynch, another investment bank, to become the first female vice president in corporate finance. On Wall Street, she also met her husband, Ken Natori, CEO of Shearson Lehman.
In 1977 she became an entrepreneur in the fashion industry. And it has never stopped. From clothing Natori has expanded to furniture, perfumes, lingerie, household linen. And jewelry. Like the collection inspired by the shape of the bamboo plant in 14-karat gold and diamonds, also sold by Moda Operandi. Exotic, but not too much.
