This article is sponsored by EMLYON Business School.
See yourself as Chanel’s next brand manager, or heading up the retail operations for LVMH? Jobs in the international luxury industry are extremely sought-after, characterized by lucrative salaries and global travel opportunities. In such a highly competitive sector, breaking into the luxury industry can be a daunting prospect. However, when armed with in-depth knowledge of the global luxury industry, practical training with leading luxury brands, professional connections and international experience, coupled with your laser focus and determination, the sky really is the limit.
So which organizations in the luxury industry do graduates of EMLYON’s MSc in Luxury Management & Marketing work for? And how does this master’s in luxury management prepare you to reach your individual career ambitions?
Careers in the luxury industry: where do EMLYON graduates work?
Graduates of the MSc in Luxury Management & Marketing work for world-leading luxury companies, including Burj Al Arab, Cartier, Chanel, Christian Dior Couture, Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Harry Winston, Hermes, Lange & Söhne, L’Oreal, Louis Vuitton, Moet Hennessy, Mont Blanc, Payot, Shiseido and Swarovski.
Thanks to the international focus of the master’s in luxury management, 47% of program graduates are working outside of their home country. According to a survey of graduates carried out in 2013, 41% of graduates work in luxury brand management, 23% in sales, 6% in communication/advertising, 6% in general management, 6% in production/operations, 6% in PR and 12% in other roles, with average salaries reaching €70,000.
EMLYON alumni have gone on to senior management positions in a wide range of global luxury organizations, including:
- Global CFO, Chanel, New York
- Logistics Manager, Christian Dior Perfumes, Shanghai
- Market Manager Arabian Gulf, Moet Hennessy, United Arab Emirates
- Retail Operations Manager, Berlutti, Hong Kong
- Sales Manager, Cartier, Frankfurt
- Global Marketing Manager Fragrances, Elizabeth Arden, New York
- Financial Controller, Bulgari, Lausanne
- Sales Manager, Moet Hennessy, London
- Watch and Jewellery Merchandise Manager Christian Dior, New York
- Regional Business Analyst for Fashion, Chanel, Hong Kong
- Vice President, Systems & Operations, Harry Winston, New York
- Finance Director, Christian Dior, United Arab Emirates
Explore more examples of graduates’ first jobs in luxury here >
How does EMLYON’s MSc in Luxury Management & Marketing prepare you for a career in luxury?
1. Apply your knowledge of luxury business to any industry
The MSc in Luxury Management & Marketing prepares you to work in any field within the luxury sector, including fashion, cosmetics, beauty, jewelry, wine, automobiles or luxury travel. Michel Phan, Director MSc in Luxury Management & Marketing says: “The program is broad enough to give you a skill-set to work in any sector you wish. We give you a good foundation and an understanding of what luxury business is about.”
Plus, immersing yourself in a luxury business environment that demands delivery of excellence in very short time frames teaches you how to manage and respond to business issues quickly, efficiently and without compromising the high standards expected in delivery.
2. Understand the global luxury industry: study in Lyon, London & Shanghai
As a student of the program, you will spend the first semester studying the fundamentals of management and luxury specialization courses at EMLYON Business School, one of the few business schools to hold triple accreditation from Equis, AACSB and AMBA. You will benefit from EMLYON’s proven expertise in entrepreneurship to help you develop the capacity to identify opportunities for luxury products and services within multiple markets and create new combinations of goods for a diverse group of customers.
You will then spend time studying at London College of Fashion, regarded as the global leader in fashion education, research and consultancy. Over seven weeks, you will study courses such as Visual Merchandising for Fashion, Theoretical & Contemporary Fashion Studies and Fashion Product Development, as well as attending London Fashion Week to experience the industry first-hand. Regardless of whether you see your future career in fashion, the experience will provide a fascinating insight into this dynamic strand of the luxury industry. Plus, you will stand out from other candidates by adding one of Europe’s most prestigious fashion institutions to your résumé.
Finally, you will spend your third semester studying the Asian business environment at EMLYON’s Asian campus in Shanghai, in order to understand the key role that Asian markets play within the luxury industry, as suppliers, consumers and competitors. Here you will take courses such as Luxury Business in China and Innovation in China & Asia, as well as working on an in-company project for an Asian luxury business, allowing you to put your newly acquired academic knowledge into practice. This allows you to experience first-hand the challenges and opportunities luxury brands face when operating in this region, as well as understanding how cultural contexts play a major role in a company’s success.
Find out more about the MSc in Luxury Management & Marketing curriculum here >
3. Achieve your career goals with EMLYON’s dedicated luxury careers services
EMLYON Business School provides you with dedicated careers services, including recruitment events, workshops, company visits and alumni events to support you in achieving your career ambitions. You will have access to the luxury business community from day one; the annual Luxury Careers Weekand luxury careers conferences have seen representatives from Ferrari, BMW, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, L’Oreal, Kering and Printemps,allowing students to network with high-profile luxury executives and recruiters.
Students also attend company visits in Lyon, London and Shanghai, including workshops and presentations from Miu Miu, Ralph Lauren, Fabergé, Skyword, Hermes and Patek Philippe. Plus, students get many opportunities to meet and connect with EMLYON alumni working in the luxury industry, gaining invaluable advice and job opportunities for future careers in luxury.
Past cohorts have also attended a special one day event in Paris while studying in Lyon, as well as a luxury week in Shanghai, where they discovered new business environments and heard from high-end representatives of companies like Ralph Lauren, Louis Vuitton and Galeries Lafayette during conferences.
Finally, as a student of the program, you are required to complete a compulsory four to nine month internship within a luxury business, allowing you to experience first-hand how businesses in the fast-paced, highly competitive fashion and lifestyle industry operate. EMLYON’s careers services provide workshops and one-to-one coaching sessions to support you with your internship and job search, as well as offering an exclusive online database of luxury business job offers, thanks to EMLYON’s privileged connections with leading luxury organizations.
Want to know more about what students, graduates and the program director have to say about the MSc in Luxury Management & Marketing? Join the program community on Facebook and explore our YouTube playlist.
