Development of a Master Program: High-end Brand Management
emlyon business school, Shanghai
Program Communication & Visibility
The main marketing activities for the program include the following:
- Development of brochures and the program website in collaboration with the marketing team
- Masterclasses to promote the program
Accreditation Dossier
I developed the official accreditation dossier for the creation of the MSc in High-End Brand Management at emlyon business school, Shanghai, for submission to the Conférence des Grandes Écoles (CGE), the French accreditation body for Grande École master’s programs. Its purpose is to demonstrate that the program meets the academic, professional, and institutional standards required for accreditation. It defines what the program is about, why it is needed, who it is designed for, how it leads to concrete career outcomes, and how academic quality and governance are ensured over time. This program was the first Master of Science accredited by the Conférence des Grandes Écoles to be delivered primarily outside France.
Core Components of the Dossier
- Target Audience & Career Opportunities: This part defines the target audience and describes the professional activities, core competencies, typical types of future employers, and the functions, jobs, and career paths the program prepares students for. It explicitly links industry expectations in the high-end and creative industries to the competencies and skills students are expected to acquire for these roles.
- Benchmarking & Differentiation: I conducted a competitor analysis and benchmarking against leading French and international programs, demonstrating how this program is positioned differently. The benchmarking directly informed decisions regarding the program’s entrepreneurial focus and high-end branding orientation.
- Market Gap Analysis: This section shows why existing programs were not sufficient, what gap this program fills, and how it responds to structural changes in luxury, high-end cultural & creative industries.
- Academic & Industry Partnerships: This part documents the program’s partnerships, including an industry advisory board, which help keep the curriculum aligned with real-world developments.
- Curriculum Architecture: This section presents the curriculum architecture and program schedule, outlining all modules, courses and study components with their key topics, learning objectives, and ECTS, and explaining the logic of course sequencing and learning progression, as well as how modules and courses are structured across study periods.
- Quality Assurance Framework: This part explains how the program is reviewed and improved over time. It describes how feedback from students, alumni, faculty, and industry partners is collected and used to ensure systematic and continuous curriculum evolution.
Main Activities in Program Management
1. Academic Coordination & Quality
- Ensuring academic alignment with the accreditation frameworks (AACSB, EQUIS, AMBA, CGE)
- Reviewing teaching quality, evaluations, and continuous improvement insights supports the continuous evolution of syllabi and pedagogical innovation
2. Faculty & Stakeholder Management
- Identifying, appointing, and coordinating faculty members, visiting professors, and guest speakers for course delivery
- Briefing course instructors on program vision, positioning, and student profile
- Initiating Strategic Committee Meetings to steer academic direction and program priorities
3. Student Experience & Journey
- Defining the academic logic of the student journey (from onboarding to graduation)
- Acting as escalation point for complex academic cases and strategic student issues
4. Program Development & Innovation
- Leading curriculum evolution and new course development
- Integrating industry trends, applied projects, and guest expertise into the academic model
5. Admissions & Recruitment
- Designing the admissions interview process, including interview questions and evaluation criteria
- Contributing to admissions interviews and the academic evaluation of candidates
- Achieving target cohort sizes and ensuring a high-quality, internationally diverse student profile
6. Program Branding & External Relations
- Representing the program academically in internal and external contexts
- Contributing academic input to rankings, accreditation narratives, and audits
- Maintaining academic relationships with corporate partners, alumni, and institutions
7. Budgeting
- Preparing an annual budget
- Monitoring teaching budgets and external faculty costs
Development of a Digital Program: High-End Brand Management
emlyon business school & CEIBS, Shanghai
I was the director of the High-End Brand Management Digital Program at emlyon business school Shanghai, which I developed in cooperation with CEIBS, one of China’s leading business schools. This program was the first fully online program launched by emlyon business school. I coordinated closely with the CEIBS editorial and production teams, as well as with other course instructors contributing to the online program. As part of the program, I designed and produced the online course “How to Build a High-End Brand,” based on my book "Build a Brand to Change Your World." The course is enriched with a series of original case studies and interviews with senior high-end brand leaders, including executives from Hermès, Sandriver, Serapian, and Shang Xia.
Case Study about Sandriver, Shanghai
How to create a luxury brand in China? This case focuses on Sandriver, one of China’s most renowned luxury cashmere brands, rooted in Shanghai’s vibrant fashion scene and known for blending wearability with modern aesthetics.
Interview with Sandriver CEO Juliet Guo
Mrs. Guo shared her fascinating journey from growing up on a goat farm in rural Mongolia to moving to Shanghai and founding her own luxury brand. She explained the key lessons involved in building a luxury brand from scratch.
CEIBS Production, Shanghai
CEIBS was responsible for the professional production of the program, creating a high-end online learning experience supported by hand-drawn visual storytelling and advanced digital learning tools.
Interview with Serapian CEO Maxime Bohé
Another case study focused on Serapian, one of the world’s most exclusive luxury bag brands. During a visit to the brand’s headquarters and “the secret store” at Villa Mozart in Milan, Maxime Bohé explained the behind-the-scenes mechanisms used to build and strengthen brand prestige, which were incorporated into the online program as applied teaching material.