“The goal is to give students the right keys to successfully lead a beauty brand and thrive in this exciting industry,” says Véronique Drecq, executive director and chaired professor of the new Leading a Beauty Brand curriculum at ESSEC Business School.
“It is about preparing our students to be leaders in a growing globalization context where understanding the nuances of the beauty industry across the world has become essential,” adds Drecq in her remarks to the press about the new chair.
The program basics
Drecq has been with the ESSEC Business School since 2013 and serving all along as chair for the LVMH luxury brand management program. Beauty product innovation is an element of that program. So, heading up the Leading a Beauty Brand program won’t be an entirely new endeavor for her; though it will be the ESSEC’s first full beauty business program.
At ESSEC, chairs are sponsored in 4-year terms. And the sponsoring companies (or institutions) collaborate with the chaired professor to develop the program curriculum.
Funding for a chair at ESSEC depends upon the number of sponsors backing the program. In the case of the new Leading a Beauty Brand program, since there are 3 sponsors, Estée Lauder, IFF, and Nocibé will each contribute €125,000 annually for a total of €375,000 per year and €1,500,000 over the 4-year term.
The sponsoring companies
According to a press release about the new program, “Under the supervision of ESSEC Marketing Professor, Véronique Drecq, the new Leading a Beauty Brand Chair intends to inspire future beauty industry leaders by opening the doors of the beauty industry to its students and provide them with a full view of beauty sector end-to-end, and the tools to build careers in areas such as marketing, communications, retail and brand leadership.”
And the companies behind the new chair all see a link between their corporate strategies and the educating the future cosmetics, personal care, and fragrance industry leaders:
“At The Estée Lauder Companies, we are deeply passionate about learning and development. Partnering with IFF and Nocibé on the creation of this one-of-a-kind, end-to-end beauty program for ESSEC is a natural extension of our strong commitment to nurture and develop the next generation of leaders in the exciting, fast-moving and growing beauty industry,” says Jean-Christophe Jourde, president of The Estée Lauder Companies in France, and himself a former ESSEC Business School student.
"IFF is very proud to be part of the ESSEC Beauty Chair,” says Christophe de Villeplée, IFF’s SVP of consumer fragrance, tells the press. “We embrace the opportunity to create a better life for students through education and applaud ESSEC for taking on this important role to train emerging leaders and entrepreneurs, and for the world of beauty….Partnering to develop the leaders of tomorrow with such prestigious and successful companies like The Estée Lauder Companies and Nocibé / Douglas is a real privilege. I strongly believe that this Chair will positively contribute to the lives of the students for all they will learn and will also benefit the beauty industry with well-trained and passionate practitioners.”
And Pierre Aoun CEO of Nocibé (Douglas Group) remarks in part, “When Retail meets the world of Beauty, it is important to have the widest and fairest offer, the best advice and service in order to satisfy all consumers, each consumer. We are delighted to share with the ESSEC students in the near future our passion of Beauty and retail.”
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Deanna Utroske, CosmeticsDesign.com Editor, covers beauty business news in the Americas region and publishes the weekly Indie Beauty Profile column, showcasing the inspiring work of entrepreneurs and innovative brands.
