Meet the Students - Cristiano Garlipp from Brazil

Interested in learning more about the class of 2016?

Current student Cristiano Garlipp has joined the MBA in International Luxury Brand Management program from Sao Paulo, Brazil. With 12 years of experience in the cosmetics and perfumery sector, he was interested in accelerating his career internationally and chose to come to ESSEC Business School to fulfill his ambitions. 

• What were you doing before you joined the MBA in International Luxury Brand Management program?

Before this MBA I was working in Sao Paulo, Brazil for IFF (International Flavors & Fragrances) where I worked for 5 years as a Sales Manager in the fragrances department for cosmetics and household goods. I have a total of 12 years of experience in marketing and sales in cosmetics and perfumery, and it is a sector I feel very passionate about. At IFF I acted as the point of contact with cosmetics and perfumery brands, acting not only as a fragrance supplier, but also as strategy and product partner and advisor.  

• Why did you decide to join the MBA?

I joined ESSEC Business School to do this MBA as I am very passionate about luxury industry, especially the segments of cosmetics and perfumery. Besides, I wanted to have an international experience in order to launch my career internationally. Having said that, ESSEC was a natural choice for me, not only for being the best school in luxury segment, but also for be conveniently located near Paris, France, and this for me is the best location for the luxury industries, especially for beauty brands such as L'Oréal Luxe, Clarins, Chanel, LVMH, among others.

• What do you hope to achieve throughout the year?

This MBA is only one year so we are compacting a lot of work into these intense months. I most look forward to strengthening my knowledge and network on the luxury segments, especially in luxury beauty industry and improve my management skills and teamwork among my colleagues coming from different cultures and backgrounds in order to prepare myself for my next career step.

• What are your professional goals after you finish the MBA?

The fragrances and cosmetics industry is one I feel very strongly about, given the number of years I've spent working in it! So ideally I would like to return and work in the luxury beauty industry, whether in retail, marketing or business development. The year has only just started and I'm sure there are many more opportunities to come, so I will also stay open to ideas and see. I would also really like to work abroad after this MBA for an international company.

• What advice would you give to someone who is applying to the program?

First of all you must love luxury and see yourself as someone that wish to help luxury brands to shine more and more; this is truly a unique program that specializes in luxury management, so a love of luxury is a prerequisite! Secondly, I think as this is a one year course, time really flies, so it is also important to have an idea which segments you are interested in, and research as much as you can about it. This way as soon as the year starts you can take all the opportunities presented to you relevant to your field of interest. At ESSEC you are presented with a lot of options but unfortunately you don't have the time to deepen everything, so it is good to have a focus; the deeper you can go in a direction, the richer your experience will be.