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NEWS & FEATURES |
Interview of the Month - March 2005: Vanessa Widmann (EPSCI 1994)
I graduated from EPSCI in 1994. As part of the curriculum, I did my 6 month internship within the international division of KENZO PARFUMS, LVMH group. After I graduated, I was offered a job by KENZO. After 6 years with the company as Area Manager Domestic & Travel Retail Europe, I was transferred to Argentina for GUERLAIN, LVMH group, to lead the re-launch of the brand in South America Travel Retail. I then moved to New York and since a year and a half I have been working for COACH, Inc as a Senior Manager for International Asia and Duty Free Shoppers Worldwide. Why did you decide to come and stay here? I find New York incredibly dynamic, vibrant and constantly evolving. It is very stimulating. Besides, the City is a blend of everything: cultures, languages, small art galleries, designer and discount shops, old dingy-looking warehouses, delis and restaurants, heterogeneous architecture and buildings etc. What advice would you give to ESSEC graduates who would liketo come to work here? Obviously, practice your English. Come here to study or work as an intern in order to build a network. Finding a job in the USA from France can be very difficult. Maybe, your best bet would be to join a multinational in France and get transferred. How do you think your ESSEC background helped you to bewhere you are? The ESSEC MBA in Luxury Brand Management has a great mentorship program which helped me open doors in the closed world of the luxury industry. I was very inspired by my mentor during the program. In addition, the class has every year a tremendous mix of students, with very diverse professional and cultural backgrounds. This was a great source of motivation for me. What do you consider as your role in the ESSEC family? I believe that the ESSEC Family should develop further. I am happy to provide advice or help others finding opportunities through networking. Why do you think people should participate to the fundraising? Fundraising is key to develop our school and it is a good opportunity to build relationships with the business world. Thank you Vanessa… |
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