Lessons above the clouds – how Lisa built her vision in Shanghai

As the sun sets behind Shanghai’s skyline, Lisa - former SWISS cabin crew member and now an entrepreneur - laces up her running shoes and jogs along the Bund. The Huangpu River rushes beside her, the city hums with life, and the lights of the skyscrapers sparkle like stars. Often, she thinks back to her early days in Shanghai, to the uncertainty, the excitement, and the challenges. Back then, she would never have imagined that one day she would be standing here, in a city so far from her home in Switzerland. And yet today she knows: this is exactly where I belong.

Longing for the world

Lisa comes from Ticino, the sun-drenched, Italian-speaking region of Switzerland. From a young age, she felt a longing to explore the world. After a year at a language school in Florida, she began her professional journey with SWISS. “Being a flight attendant was my first real full-time job,” she recalls. “Looking back, it was my school for life. I was curious, eager to see the world, and hungry for a challenge.”

“Being a flight attendant at SWISS was my school for life.”

Lisa Gregori, former SWISS cabin crew member & entrepreneur

Flying above the clouds, she discovered not just distant countries, but herself. Traits long hidden surfaced, patience, intuition, and quiet strength. “I learned that you can be strong without being loud,” she says. Her introversion became a superpower. Lisa learned to read people, sense energies, and defuse tensions often before a single word was spoken. Empathy, presence, and inner calm became her tools.

Elegance, discipline, and empathy defined these years. “At SWISS, I learned that professionalism shows even on your worst days,” she says. One lesson from a Maître de Cabine has stayed with her. The uniform absorbs everything, and when you take it off, you let it go. Lisa has internalized this calm and strength, maintaining composure, even under pressure.

Above the clouds, her journey began: As a flight attendant with SWISS International Air Lines (2011–2014), Lisa learned how elegance, empathy, and discipline can transform even everyday moments into something extraordinary. (Note: This photograph was taken in 2014. The situation depicted is no longer permitted under current regulations.)
Above the clouds, her journey began: As a flight attendant with Swiss International Air Lines (2011–2014), Lisa learned how elegance, empathy, and discipline can transform even everyday moments into something extraordinary. © Lisa Gregori

Leap without safety net

But at some point, the desire for a change of scenery emerged. “I knew my future was not in Europe.” It was a leap of faith, a moment to trust the quiet but clear inner voice over reason.

“Shanghai feels like an elegant, strong woman - independent and kind at the same time.”

Lisa Gregori

Shanghai was not unfamiliar. SWISS had introduced her to the city, and she had fallen in love. “Shanghai feels like an elegant, strong woman,” she says. “Independent yet warm. The city changes constantly but never loses its charm. That balance fascinates me.”

So she booked the flight and left her safe life in Switzerland behind. The first night in Shanghai was tough. Homesickness, chaotic lodging, a foreign language. She cried and doubted herself. But the very next day, walking home from Chinese class, she stood on the Bund, by the riverbank, and felt the potential of her new life.

At the Bund, after all the doubts, she began to sense the potential of her new life.
At the Bund, after all the doubts, Lisa began to sense the potential of her new life. © Lisa Gregori

A brand Is born

Years later, almost every run still ends at that same spot. What began as a fresh start without a clear plan slowly evolved into a vision - the vision of founding her own company. “It felt natural, almost like a sign I was on the right path.”

Colors, shapes, fabrics, and psychology, all her long-standing passions came together. That vision became AD MAIORA, her own brand offering bespoke tailoring and image consulting with Swiss precision and timeless elegance. “Precision, for me, means doing things right even when no one is watching,” she says. “It is a form of respect for the craft and for the person.”

Her clients in Shanghai value exactly that. Clean lines, muted colors, understated elegance. No loud statements, just clothing that inspires confidence, sometimes visible only to the wearer. Lisa is especially moved when women tell her they finally feel beautiful again. “When someone realizes why certain colors or cuts never suited them, it gives me goosebumps.”

In her Shanghai atelier, Lisa combines Swiss precision with timeless elegance through AD MAIORA.
In her Shanghai atelier, Lisa combines Swiss precision with timeless elegance through AD MAIORA. © Lisa Gregori
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Many habits from her flight attendant days remain, often unconsciously. Before starting a workday or a new project, she pauses for a mental briefing. What do I need today? Where could challenges arise? What solutions are ready even before a problem emerges? This preparation, honed in the cabin, brings structure and calm, a skill that serves her daily as an entrepreneur in a fast-moving city like Shanghai.

Her day begins around six. Emails, coordinating with tailors, meetings with clients. Inspiration comes from the Huangpu District, where history and modernity meet. For Lisa, Shanghai is not a compromise. It is a space of possibility.

Exactly here, exactly now

Looking back, the past twelve years have shaped her as a woman, an entrepreneur, and a human being. “I have learned to trust myself,” she says. “To create something from nothing and stand alone without feeling lonely.” Looking ahead, AD MAIORA is set to grow internationally, perhaps even one day in the Middle East, bridging old worlds and new.

When Lisa stands on the Bund today, facing the skyline, there is no longing for what might have been. Only calm and certainty. “I am in the right place, right here, right now.”