Glion faculty member Dr Estelle Dinh took her place among the expert panelists chosen for the 8th edition of the Luxury Symposium – an event staged by the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Hong Kong. It was an ideal opportunity to talk about education as a foundation for successful luxury careers.

The great and the good of Asia’s burgeoning luxury segment gathered in Hong Kong earlier this year for the 8th staging of the French Chamber in Hong Kong’s Luxury Symposium.

The event, held in the sumptuous surroundings of the Rosewood Hong Kong, was entitled ‘Luxury’s new paradigm: How to win?’. It attracted almost 500 participants, with 250+ attending in person, making it a significant occasion in the world of luxury.

Glion was among the event sponsors this year. We also provided an expert panelist, in the shape of luxury specialist and visiting faculty member Dr Estelle Dinh, who teaches courses on subjects including the Economics and Sociology of Luxury, as well as Service Excellence, while also serving as a Glion Group Values Ambassador.

Estelle’s panel posed the question ‘How can luxury remain attractive to talents?’ and it also featured representatives from Hong Kong University Business School, Richemont Asia-Pacific and The Art of Leadership Studio.

With talent attraction, development and retention top of the panel’s agenda, it was an ideal opportunity for Estelle to put forward the Glion philosophy on developing the soft skills needed to thrive in the 21st century luxury industry.

Soft skills hold the key

She noted how vital it was to inculcate a culture and philosophy of luxury among those employed by the industry, emphasizing again the need for soft skills such as emotional intelligence, cultural sensitivity, problem-solving, communication and creativity.

“Hard skills are useful, but soft skills are crucial to anticipate customers’ dreams and wishes,” she told the audience.

Estelle went on to explain more about the specialized luxury programs at Glion, from our Bachelor’s in Luxury Business to the Master’s and Executive Master’s degrees, and how each helps students develop soft skills alongside the ‘harder’ business knowledge.

Talking after the event, Estelle noted, “Everyone in the room knew the Glion name, but few were aware of the breadth of luxury education we now offer, and in particular how we are responding to the needs of the industry and leading the way in terms of development and training of future talent.”

The potential for an academic approach to luxury was also endorsed by Estelle’s fellow panel member Prof. Fabrice Lumineau, from Hong Kong Business School. He called for the development of additional specialized luxury programs, to help bridge the gap between the supply of talent and the industry’s demands.

Prof. Lunineau added that establishing stronger partnerships between academic institutions would also help smooth the career paths of students – a further endorsement of the approach long taken by Glion through initiatives such as The Talent Connection collaboration with Four Seasons, Watchfinder & Co. and Cushman & Wakefield.

Elsewhere during the day, the audience heard from speakers and panelists representing the cream of the luxury industry, including major players such as LVMH and individual brands including Audemars Piguet, Stella McCartney, Prada, Van Cleef & Arpels, Hermès and Dior.

Following the engaging plenary sessions, participants had the opportunity to connect and continue the conversation during a networking cocktail.

Post-event, our contribution as sponsor was recognized by Stéphanie Dodin, Executive Director of the French Chamber in Hong Kong, who wrote:

“Your invaluable support played a pivotal role in making this signature event a resounding success, allowing us to host it at the prestigious Rosewood Hong Kong and curate a robust program featuring prominent speakers. The positive feedback received from attendees underscores the impact of your collaboration. The partnership with Glion Institute of Higher Education holds significant importance for the French Chamber, and your involvement contributed immensely to the event’s success.”

• To discover more about the French Chamber in Hong Kong, visit the website

Photo credit

Pictures by Laure Winsback