by Teresa Chen
Current student Pedro Mendes Guimaraes Trajano de Sa from Rio in Brazil, has sat down with me, for an interview about why he joined our International Luxury MBA.
What were you doing before you joined the MBA in International Luxury Brand Management program?
Prior to starting this MBA, I worked in the control/financial department in a fashion company in Brazil; I was hired to build this department from scratch. I was fully in charge for this mission as my manager at the time was involved in other projects. Through this experience, I realized how important research and new ideas are in an environment where the expectations are already high. The successful outcomes of this mission enabled the CEO of the company to entrust me with taking the strategic planning of the company to a new level. I started to work with every department to develop them so each one could achieve their short-term goals and align their long-term planning.
In addition, I worked alongside the retail manager on a daily basis; together we analysed and took decisions to develop and increase each store’s performance. We also focused much of our efforts on store experience to ensure that the brand resonated with our customers all over Brazil, and for customers to feel that the experience provided was unique for them.
Why did you decide to join the MBA?
Everything about this MBA aligned with my goals, and this is very important for me and helped me make my final decisions between coming here or going to another program. I'm also very passionate about the luxury industry and the products, it's something that gets me motivated, so after much research this program is the best program that exists in terms of an MBA with a deep specialization in luxury.
My last reason for coming here was I wanted a very international experience, so this program based in France with a completely international class was perfect for me. For more details I have made a video on my channel describing exactly this MBA decision-making journey to ESSEC (see YouTube).
What do you hope to achieve throughout the year and what are your professional goals after you finish the MBA?
Coming from a fashion company, I wanted to understand what makes something luxury, and also understand the savoir-faire of France and Italy. I also want to work for a large luxury group eventually with a lot of structure, as this is the opposite of my previous experiences. Basically I want to continue doing finance but in a more complex environment to enrich myself and my skill sets.
Finally, what advice would you give to someone who is applying to the program?
I would say think about your motivation for applying for the program. Do not do it if because you like a brand or want to be part of luxury, because it's a hard-working industry! I am here for my dreams and goals so I would recommend candidates to apply to the program only because they truly love luxury, and also know that the MBA will fulfill their personal goals.
