Industry insight
I do media consolidation for all our brands at the LVMH Group in China, which means that I have to control media buying and establish close partnerships with all of the publishers in China. I work to ensure that negotiations between brands, publishers, and agencies are very transparent. While at HEC, I took a course called “Luxury Goods and Brand Differentiation,” taught by the former CEO of Louis Vuitton. In this course, I not only learned about the theory and practice of the luxury industry, but also about the people behind this industry. Most people think that luxury is a fancy, glamorous industry, which it is, to a certain degree. On the other hand, I figured out that people in this industry are very hard working and diligent; they really have their feet on the ground, and they're very down to earth.
French touch
I was admitted to two business schools in France, and it took me almost a month to decide which school to go to. I can tell you now that I absolutely made the right choice. I think that, if you want to experience France, it's important to choose a school with a real French touch, rather than a more American style environment. HEC definitely provides this atmosphere. HEC has the biggest alumni network in French society, and I've met a lot of HEC alumni even here in Shanghai.
Career guidance
The Career Services team at HEC Paris is outstanding. The career advisors gave me ideas about industries and how to do my homework before meeting with recruiters. The advisors can work with us on a very personalized level because we have a relatively small student body; at larger schools, this individual attention isn't feasible. It's very easy to communicate with HEC MBA professors, who are incredibly accessible: if you have a problem, they are always willing to help. This is different from bigger schools, where the student body is very large, and it is difficult to gain access to professors.
Alumni connections
I work for a French company in China, and I actually have two direct colleagues who are also HEC alumni. Our alumni network is so powerful because HEC is not just about the MBA Program; it's also about the Grande Ecole and the Executive Education Programs. Taking that into consideration, you have a much larger community. I'll give you an example, in the building where I am currently located in Shanghai, there are a total of five HEC alumni. We've made connections based on our HEC experience: we meet for lunch and get together with all of the alumni in Shanghai to share personal and professional information. These connections are a really valuable, lasting result of earning my MBA at HEC.