Kering partners with HEC Paris Luxury Chair

- Kering renews its partnership with HEC Paris School of Management’s Luxury Chair
- Kering once again sponsors the “Luxury Certificate” programme
- Kering will therefore continue its partnership with the HEC Foundation

Kering and HEC Paris School of Management have renewed ties that were established in 2010 around the school´s Luxury Chair. As a result, Kering will continue its partnership with the HEC Foundation for the next five years and will also sponsor the “Luxury Certificate” programme.

The “Luxury Certificate” is a unique programme that aims to help future leaders learn how best to handle luxury brand management challenges, to explore key sectors within the luxury market, and develop an in-depth understanding of the many facets of working in the luxury industry.

For Kering, this partnership with one of the world´s best business schools will contribute to developing future senior managers in the luxury sector and identifying talented individuals who could potentially join the Group and its brands. Supporting and nurturing talent is one of the Kering Group’s main missions, already illustrated by its prestigious partnerships with institutions around the world such as the London College of Fashion, Parsons School of Design in New York and Tsinghua University in Beijing.

For HEC Paris, this collaboration with one of the world´s leading luxury groups will provide students with a solid and innovative programme centred around a fast-paced and constantly evolving luxury industry.

This year, 40 participants comprising 14 nationalities will follow the “Luxury Certificate” programme from April to June 2016. They have been selected from the different HEC campus programmes: Grande Ecole, MBA, Masters of Science, and specialised Masters.

The “Luxury Certificate” is organised around five pillars:

• A series of core courses given by HEC Paris professors
• An in-depth look at the luxury sector by industry experts
• A ‘business game’ centred around developing a luxury company
• A series of seminars led by operational or functional managers from Kering and its brands, as well as visits to the Group´s brands stores
• An advisory team project on a dedicated topic put forward by Kering, which will be presented in front of a jury comprising the Certificate’s academic co-directors, and experts from Kering.

François-Henri Pinault, CEO of Kering stated: “I am pleased to celebrate the renewal of our partnership with HEC Paris, and to pursue our collaboration in order to train future leaders of the luxury industry. As an alumnus, I am especially proud to rekindle the ties which united Kering with HEC Paris.”

Peter Todd, Dean of HEC Paris, added: “I am delighted to renew our partnership with Kering. HEC Paris shares strong values: audacity and entrepreneurship with Kering and François-Henri Pinault, an active supporter of our school. In this Chair, 20 experts from Kering will share their insights with students and over 30 collaborators from Kering will contribute to this project. It is remarkable that a company such as Kering invests so much in the construction of a Chair.”

The HEC Paris “Luxury Certificate” programme was designed by internationally renowned professors and luxury experts:

• Kristine de Valck, Marketing Professor, digital transformation specialist on its impact on brands and consumer habits
• Patrick Albaladejo, Marketing Professor, management strategies specialist for international brands
• Jean-Noël Kapferer, Emeritus Professor, renowned for his work on the identity and management of luxury brands


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For more information contact Stephanie Mullins at BlueSky PR on smullins@bluesky-pr.com or call +44 (0)1582 790 706.


About HEC Paris

Specialising in management education and research, HEC Paris offers a complete and unique range of educational programmes for the leaders of tomorrow: Masters programs, Summer School, MBA, PhD, Executive MBA, TRIUM Global Executive MBA, open-enrolment and custom executive education programmes. Founded in 1881 by the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry, HEC Paris is a founding member of the Université Paris-Saclay. It boasts a faculty of 138 full-time professors, more than 4,400 students and over 8,000 managers and executives in training each year.

About Kering

A world leader in apparel and accessories, Kering develops an ensemble of powerful Luxury and Sport & Lifestyle brands: Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Brioni, Christopher Kane, McQ, Stella McCartney, Tomas Maier, Boucheron, Dodo, Girard-Perregaux, JeanRichard, Pomellato, Qeelin, Ulysse Nardin, Puma, Volcom and Cobra. By ‘empowering imagination’ in the fullest sense, Kering encourages its brands to reach their potential in the most sustainable manner. Present in more than 120 countries, the Group generated revenue of more than €11.5 billion in 2015 and had more than 38,000 employees at year end.

The Kering (previously PPR) share is listed on Euronext Paris (FR 0000121485, KER.PA, KER.FP).