The ESSEC MBA in International Luxury Brand Management celebrated the graduation of its 19th class, the Christian Dior Couture Class, at Hôtel le Bristol Paris on Monday, September 15th. Jean-Michel Blanquer, Dean of ESSEC Business School, opened the ceremony and addressed the students about ESSEC’s core values of a pioneering spirit and excellence, which will serve them in their future careers.
Professor Simon Nyeck, Academic Director of the MBA in International Luxury Brand Management, recognized all those who have contributed to the program, including ESSEC faculty and staff, alumni and the corporate partners. Special thanks was offered to the companies that had sponsored Field Projects in 2013-2014: Audemars Piguet, Cartier, Chanel, Christian Dior Couture, Clarins, DFS, Estée Lauder, Harvey Nichols, Krug, Kering, Loro Piana, St. Dupont, and Zegna.
Sonya de Castelbajac (MBA Graduate 1998), Zone Marketing Director, Middle East & Africa at L’Oréal Luxe, shared her experience as an alumnus of the program. The keynote speaker was Sidney Toledano, President & CEO of Christian Dior Couture, and the “parrain” of the Christian Dior Couture class. Mr. Toledano shared the lessons he had learned throughout his career with the graduates, identifying the keys of the luxury industry to be “product, clients, and people.” Bertrand Delvert, President of the ESSEC MBA in International Luxury Brand Management Alumni Association, addressed the graduates on behalf of the alumni community.
Families, friends, corporate partners, alumni and ESSEC faculty and staff attended this special evening to celebrate the graduates’ achievements. Academic awards for top-ranked students were given by Stéphane Actif, Sales Director at Montblanc, to Amandine Latour (1st), Nima Farahmand (2nd) and Brian Lavio (3rd).
Scholarships were then awarded to incoming students from the Class of 2015. Solène Davy, Head of Communication Fine Fragrance at Firmenich & CIE – SAS awarded the Firmenich scholarship to Ying (Jessica) Wang. Rémi Lugagne, HRD at L’Oréal Luxe, awarded the L’Oréal Luxe scholarship to Tyngyu Fu. Edmond Saran (MBA Graduate 2008) awarded the Alumnus Scholarship to Jeanine Benjamin.
The ceremony closed with the announcement of the 20th anniversary celebrations for the MBA in International Luxury Brand Management, which will take place on June 11, 2015.
