Master's programs

Since 2010, HEC Paris and Kering have joined forces to train ambitious, highly-motivated students in luxury brand management skills.

The HEC Paris x Kering Certificate of Influential Luxury combines the academic excellence of HEC Paris with Kering's expertise in the global Luxury industry to ready you for hiring in this fast-paced, dynamic field.

During the program, you will explore the role of creativity and innovation in Luxury, and gain valuable hands-on experience via access to on-site operations and industry processes and products.

Kering is a pioneer in "influential luxury" as the Group is constantly looking for new ways of leading a more purposeful vision of Luxury and this certificate is a unique opportunity to gain insights on how the Group leverages brand power to further sustainability and positive social impact.

As part of the program, you will hear from Kering senior leaders who will share their own experience in Luxury. You will also have the opportunity to put your knowledge into practice on a practical case study (the "consulting project") for a Kering House. 

The Influential Luxury Certificate will empower you to strategically and creatively enhance value for luxury brands by:

• Understanding what makes a brand a "luxury" brand
• Gaining key skills around luxury brand management
• Developing creative and innovative solutions for brand excellence and influential luxury
• Exploring practical case studies with insights from leaders in Kering Houses

To give you a comprehensive view of the Luxury industry, as well as an in-depth understanding of Kering's commitment to influential luxury, the certificate is made up of different modules. These consist of:
 

Core Courses

Taught by renowned HEC faculty members, core courses reveal the pillars of Luxury management:

• The Essence of Luxury: Jean-Noel Kapferer
• Building a Global Luxury Brand: Patrick Albaladejo
• Leading Luxury's Digital Transformation: Perrine Corvaisier

Industry Focus

Each field of the Luxury industry requires a different approach to brand leadership and influential luxury. That's why the certificate also offers courses taught by industry experts or HEC professors with specialized knowledge in a particular area of Luxury:  

• Fashion Industries Seminar : Gachoucha Kretz

Kering Seminars

Senior leaders from both Kering Corporate and Kering Houses will share their vision and experience in Luxury management. This series of seminars will give you a holistic understanding of how to lead a Luxury brand to an outstanding performance in terms of sales, influence, and social impact.

Topics may include:

• Financial management in the Luxury industry
• Luxury retailing and merchandising
• Sustainability in Luxury management
• Empowering talent and making diversity a business priority
• Intellectual property and counterfeiting
• Luxury and the new digital era
• Corporate communications
   

Kering Uncovered

The Kering philosophy of 'Empowering Imagination' puts human relationships at the heart of career development. That's why our Kering field trips focus on face-to-face meetings and conversations with Kering House leaders, as well as giving you a unique behind-the-scenes experience with a Luxury House. (All field trips will be subject to ongoing COVID-19 measures).

Field trips may include:

• Visit to a flagship store
   

Kering Consulting Project

An essential part of the certificate is the Kering Consulting Project. Using the knowledge and skills gained during the program, you will work in a small team to apply critical and creative thinking to identify innovative, workable solutions to real-life luxury brand management issues. You will support your solutions with relevant data analysis.

Past briefs:

• 2022: Boucheron - How to relaunch watchmaking segment with a 360 approach?
   
• 2021: Maximizing the omni channel potential of Saint Laurent acknowledging the pivotal role of physical stores.
   
• 2020: Build the online client experience of tomorrow. This project focused on enhancing the Balenciaga omnichannel customer experience to sustain the brand's success. Working groups gave the Balenciaga management team innovative approaches that built on the unique aspects of the House to introduce a seamless experience between physical and digital channels.
   
• 2019: Identify and define a brand strategy for Bottega Veneta that creates desirability on an emotional level. Create a brand world that allows a shift to top-down marketing.
   
• 2018: Develop a concrete business proposal in line with Saint Laurent DNA, around one of the following two topics :
  • 1. Access is the new ownership: What could a rental business model look like for Saint Laurent?
  • 2. Green is the new black: What fresh ideas (beyond material usage) could Saint Laurent embrace to contribute to a more sustainable business model? 

• Patrick Albaladejo, Academic Director, Affiliate Professor, HEC Paris
• Jean-Noël Kapferer, Emeritus Professor at HEC Paris, Author, 2004 American Marketing Association Award for the most influential contribution to marketing thinking 
• Kristine De Valck, Associate Professor, Associate Dean/Director of PhD Program HEC Paris
• Gachoucha Kretz, Associate Professor of Marketing at HEC Paris and Executive Director of the L'Oréal Chair
• Perrine Corvaisier, Digital Transformation & Operations Consultant