Helen Zhou was born in Shanghai, where she was raised by her grandmother. She graduated from the Sun Yat-sen University in English and Business and started her career at a beauty brand in Guangzhou. She is now General manager of Guerlain, China. In 2013, she applied to Sephora, her first job within the LVMH Group. She had to be interviewed by the Group's President for China. To her great surprise, when she opened the door, the President turned out to be a woman, Anne-Véronique Bruel. Anne-Véronique, who is now CEO of FRESH, asked her to sit down not in front of her, but beside her: "And this has completely changed the relationship, because sitting on the opposite side as I used to do to report to my line manager, it gives some kind of hierarchy." Helen remembers. This particular moment made her realize that women can reach the highest positions, while remaining true and authentic: "Being a female leader doesn’t request being a copycat of other leaders”. Since then, Helen has completely changed her way of being a manager, she doesn't hesitate to express her feelings to her team, to talk about her own difficulties. Finally, Helen realized that « [she can be true to who [she is]”.

Confidences particulières

#11 – Helen Zhou "You don’t need to pretend to be somebody else"

Masumi Suzuki's background is not common. As a graduate from the Gemological Institute of America, she worked most of her career in the highend jewelry and watchmaking industry. Masumi joined RIMOWA in 2016 and as Head of sales she now manages a team of 150 people to expand the brand. In December 2018, Masumi contributed to the opening of the RIMOWA flagship store in Ginza 7 in Tokyo, a huge store of 800 square meters on three floors. The project had only been launched eight months earlier :"It was quite challenging. We had very little time to do everything. At first, we thought we'd never make it." she remembers. Yet Masumi and her team managed to tackle the obstacles and find solutions. A few months later, the store opened. From that experience, she has learnt to reach her full potential and encourage others to do the same. Before that, Masumi struggled to take credit for her accomplishments.Thanks to the support of her teams, she realized that it was important to speak out loud of her own contributions, although it felt uncomfortable for her – as for many women – to do so. From that moment, she began to work on her state of mind and change her relationship to success: "I realize how important it is to personally recognize your own achievements and talk openly about them so we can open the door to the next step".

#10 - Masumi Suzuki "It is important to recognize your own achievements"

Dominique Giovine is half French and half American. She grew up in Bordeaux, surrounded by great vineyards, then went on to university in the US where she studied advertising. Dominique “felt enamored with Moët Hennessy” and has been working for the Maison for more than 20 years now. She started in sales and evolved through the years to become Vice-President and General Manager for the mid-south region of the USA, at Moët Hennessy. Ten years ago, Dominique was just promoted head of the Georgian market for Moët Hennessy. At that time, her husband was trying to open a new restaurant and to raise funds. The financial pressure on the couple was high, with two young children to take care of: not exactly the perfect situation to start a new job. During the first year in her new job, Dominique held out. But at the end of the year, she admitted it wasn’t working. She wanted to quit, but her husband convinced her otherwise. At first, she panicked, then she had a click: she would find a solution because giving up was not in her DNA. She worked hard and succeeded once she accepted to stop trying to be perfect: "I needed to let go of this image of perfection, that everything is ok. You do what you can do".

#9 - Dominique Giovine “I needed to let go of this image of perfection”

Pour Séraphine Dhellemmes, depuis 2015 et la fin de ses études d’ingénieur, tout s’est enchainé très vite, naturellement, « avec de la chance et sans [qu’elle] l’ait vraiment cherché ». Quand son stage dans le secteur des cosmétiques pour LVMH Recherche se transforme en CDI, elle a le sentiment que ce qui lui arrive est un cadeau. Mais un cadeau qu’elle n’aurait pas eu le temps de désirer. Alors après quelques années à son poste, elle s’autorise à réfléchir à ce qu’elle veut vraiment pour la suite de sa carrière. En 2019, forte de ses expériences au sein de LVMH Recherche, elle trouve la confiance nécessaire pour s’affirmer. Elle entreprend alors une série de rencontres avec des personnes aux métiers qui l’inspirent en lien avec le secteur de la mode et de la maroquinerie et reçoit une proposition. C’est la suite logique de son parcours mais surtout, c’est son choix. Elle intègre alors les équipes de LVMH Métiers d’Art et devient leur Ambassadrice. En charge de la coordination du développement des tanneries des Maisons du Groupe, elle prend le temps de s’imprégner de leurs savoir-faire et traditions orales séculaires. Pour elle, c’est en confrontant « la naïveté d’un regard plus jeune et extérieur » à des traditions plus anciennes qu’on arrive à créer des nouveautés et à faire aboutir collectivement de beaux projets. Aujourd’hui, elle se sent vraiment à sa place, elle est là où « [elle] voulait être »...Et ce n’est que le début d’une grande aventure.

#8 – Séraphine Dhellemmes « Je suis là où je dois être »

Luciana Farina grew up in a little village in Italy where working at Louis Vuitton, Dior or Celine was not an obvious career choice. She was in her 20s when she went to a recruitment agency asking for a job. That is how she got hired at her first fashion house at the HR department. At the end of her contract, there was no available position for her. She was quite upset because she would have liked to continue her career in this field, since she had developed a form of attachment to the Maison over time. But one day, the Head of Digital came to her and offered her a job. At first, Luciana couldn’t believe it, she did not know if she had what it took or if her skills would fit the job, etc. But her boss trusted her. “Luciana, I know you can be the right person” he said. That’s how she started her career in digital. Today she is International E-Commerce Director at Christian Dior Couture. She felt very grateful there was someone looking at her in a different way than she was looking at herself. And now, she is trying to be a manager that is motivating each member of her team to do things that they didn’t know they could do.

#7 - Luciana Farina "At the end of the day, it’s my choice"

Valérie Dubois a passé 16 années dans l’industrie agro-alimentaire avant d’arriver chez Louis Vuitton en 2013, comme Directrice des ateliers de Vendée, en France. Un jour, un chef d’équipe vient lui annoncer qu’un tout nouveau produit est en train de sortir de la ligne. C’est le sac Tote W. De ce produit, elle a vu la maquette quelques semaines auparavant. Mais le voir « naître » c’est tout autre chose. Les équipes sont fières de partager avec elle le savoir-faire pour concevoir ce sac, et notamment un fameux point qui, si mal exécuté, peut réduire à néant tout l’amont de la fabrication. À ce moment-là, Valérie a un déclic : elle comprend la dimension émotionnelle du produit, au-delà de sa technique, et que les sacs créés par ses équipes sont de véritables œuvres d’art. Elle se sent alors pleinement intégrée aux équipes des ateliers. Depuis, Valérie est devenue la meilleure ambassadrice du savoir-faire de ses équipes lors des visites des ateliers et auprès des clients.

#6 - Valerie Dubois "Je me suis sentie pleinement intégrée"

En 2015, Florence Pennec travaille chez Hennessy au sein du département Finance depuis quinze ans déjà, quand un jour son patron lui propose un poste à la production, sur le site du Haut Bagnolet. Florence, expert-comptable de formation, est d’abord très surprise : c’est un secteur où n’évoluent traditionnellement que des hommes. Mais elle accepte tout de suite cette formidable opportunité. Au début, Florence sent des réticences dans le regard de certains. Puis elle décrète que ce n’est pas son combat. On lui a proposé ce poste parce qu’elle a des compétences et en est capable. Changement de poste, changement d’environnement, Florence est passée du siège social à un site de production, situé au milieu d’une forêt. Devenue ‘Directeur’ de production dans un univers d’hommes, Florence est sortie de sa zone de confort pour le meilleur : elle a gagné en confiance en elle et s’est ouvert de nouvelles voies de développement de carrière

#5 - Florence Pennec "Sortir de ma zone de confort m'a fait gagner en confiance"

Since she was little, Mathilde Christiansen had always been interested in making clothes, but never really considered that maybe it could be a job. But when the choice came to study, she picked a foundation course in fashion, and has worked in the sector ever since. In 2013, Mathilde was senior designer at Kenzo when her boss left the Maison. No one amid the management team had approached her to offer her to replace him at the head of the menswear design team. And she, "as often women" as she said, was too afraid to ask. Then, one day... at the coffee machine, she dared to ask. At first, the Director was not very convinced, so he put her to the test for six months. Six months later, Mathilde had proven she was capable of being Head of Design for menswear at Kenzo, that she could be trusted. She has learnt how to manage a team and in the end, even if the collection she presented was not – in her opinion – the best she had built, she did it and got the job. It was quite a pivotal moment because she also realized that if she had not asked, they probably would never have considered her. Now she's more confident. "It's worth asking. The worst thing that can happen to you is someone saying no”.

#4 - Mathilde Christiansen "I have dared to ask"

Joyce Weng is UK Managing Director Bulgari. For Joyce, working at Bulgari is “faith”, as she called it. After a visit in France where she was fascinated by the colors of the bags and jewelry in a Bulgari store, she received a phone call to be interviewed as PR Director of the Maison in Taiwan. Later, back in China, she continued her way through the company and finally became UK Managing Director at Bulgari. One day, in 2009, Joyce was entrusted with the responsibility of organizing a Bulgari exhibition at the China Museum in Beijing, the largest in the country. It was a real challenge to convince local authorities to let her and her team expose more than 600 museum pieces of Bulgari for months. Despite the many challenges they faced, the exhibition was a success. She has learned a lot about herself, about how to stay calm despite the obstacles, how to persist. Today, every time she remembers this story, she can't help but smile and be proud.

#3 - Joyce Weng "I can’t help but smile and be proud"

Karen Williams is Global Academy and Education Director at MAKE UP FOR EVER. Every day, she teaches young people how to become make-up artists. She came from a very polyglot family and lived all over the world: Germany, Africa, India, Portugal, wondering what she wanted to become. She dreamed herself as a make-up artist for horror films. Then she came to France and graduated from a make-up school. For twenty year, she has been working her way out to backstage, advertising, etc. in the make-up sector. One day, Karen Williams was working as a make-up trainer at Parfums Christian Dior, when she met with a neuroscientist researcher named Kate-Mary. Kate-Mary was working on people’s brain and how they learn. At first sight, she appeared to Karen as eccentric. But then she turned out to be her role model. Kate-Mary taught Karen how to be a better person and a much stronger manager. She checked Karen to be who she is today, including from a vocational perspective. She taught her about education. And when Karen became Global Academy and Education Director at MAKE UP FOR EVER three years ago, she wanted to pay tribute to Kate-Mary. Thanks to her she realized that education is everything.

#2 - Karen Williams "I’m a better person and a stronger manager"

Charlotte Toubeau est Cheffe Patissière adjointe à la Grande Epicérie de Paris. Elle gère au quotidien une équipe de 25 personnes. Avant d'en arriver là, elle a fait des études de droit et de compta-gestion, a tout repris de zéro, passé son CAP et a gravi les échelons à Lyon, puis à Paris. Quand Charlotte commence ce métier il y a une quinzaine d’années, il y a très peu de femmes. Cinq ans plus tard, le métier commence à se féminiser. Pour autant, les gros postes ne sont pas pour les femmes. Un jour, en 2013, elle voit une annonce pour un poste de management au Koweit. Elle postule, comme on jette une bouteille à la mer. Et à sa grande surprise, elle est prise. La voilà qui débarque à 27 ans pour prendre la tête d’une équipe exclusivement masculine. En quinze secondes, le déclic se fait dans sa tête : « Si on t’a mis à ce poste, c’est que tu en as les capacités ». Aujourd'hui, de retour en France, elle revient sur son expérience et nous raconte comment cette étape lui a permis de gagner en confiance, d'évoluer à des postes à responsabilité et d'affirmer ses méthodes de travail et de management.

#1 - Charlotte Toubeau "Je me suis sentie capable"

There are times in a career when everything changes. Turning points after which nothing will be the same. These moments remain carved in our memories. The podcast series Tips to the Top meets with 12 women from the LVMH group. They are women with inspiring life stories – with diverse and sometimes unexpected career paths. They are Leather Goods Manufacturing Director at Louis Vuitton, Deputy Pastry Chef for the Grande Epicerie de Paris, Métiers d'Art Ambassador, International E-Commerce Director at Chrisitan Dior Couture or Director of Spirit Production at Hennessy. One surpassed her limits and opened a flagship store for her brand in Japan, another learned she could become a manager thanks to a formative experience in Kuwait. A third quite simply admitted to herself what she really wanted. From all over the world, they tell about the day that changed their lives. They all share their experiences, journeys, successes, and even their doubts. These are personal and professional stories where passion and ambition go hand in hand.

Tips to the Top | Trailer (EN ??)

Il y a des moments dans une carrière où tout change. Des moments qui marquent un avant et un après. Et qui resteront gravés. Tips to the top vous emmène à la rencontre de 12 femmes du groupe LVMH. Des femmes aux parcours inspirants, aux métiers très divers, parfois inattendus. Elles sont Directrice des Ateliers Louis Vuitton, Cheffe Pâtissière adjointe à la Grande Épicerie de Paris, Ambassadrice Métiers d’Art, Directrice internationale e-commerce chez Christian Dior Couture, ou encore Directrice de Production des Eaux-de-vie chez Hennessy. L’une s’est dépassée pour ouvrir la première boutique de sa marque au Japon, l’autre a appris qu’elle pouvait être manager grâce à une expérience formatrice au Koweït. La troisième s’est tout simplement autorisée à réfléchir à ce qu’elle voulait vraiment. Des quatre coins du monde, elles racontent ce jour qui a tout changé. Elles partagent leur vécu, leur trajectoire, leurs réussites, leurs doutes aussi. Des histoires qui résonnent comme autant d’expériences personnelles et professionnelles où passion rime avec ambition.

Tips to the Top | Bande-annonce (FR ??)

A l’angle de la 5e Avenue et de la 47e, se trouve l’immense boutique Sephora. C’est ici que les pinceaux de Myiesha Sewell suivent le rythme cadencé de la pop musique diffusée. Influencée par sa grand-mère, elle nous raconte pourquoi le maquillage est un outil formidable d’estime de soi.

« Vous pouvez être quelqu’un d’autre chaque jour, c’est ce que je préfère dans mon métier. »

With his gentle, reassuring voice, Christophe Pierre takes us on a journey to Cognac. A cask-maker since the age of 18, he helps us discover the importance of our senses. Working alongside his childhood friend, he perpetuates the skills of his trade to leave his mark for posterity. This content is not intended to be listened by persons under the alcohol legal drinking or buying age in their location of residence. Not for use in locations with restrictions on alcoholic beverages advertising.

“I want to do something that will last”

Vous aimez les histoires singulières ? Découvrez la série de podcasts « Confidences particulières » qui m’a mené à la rencontre des artisans et créateurs des Maisons du groupe LVMH.  Julien Cernobori a capté les petits et grands secrets de ces femmes, de ces hommes, si fiers de leur métier, soucieux du geste parfait, animés par la passion de l’excellence. Suivez-nous à Rome, Paris, New York, Cognac…chez Dior, Sephora, Tag Heuer ou Berluti.  Confidences particulières, une collection de 13 épisodes à découvrir sur le site des Journées Particulières, Soundcloud, Podcast addict et Apple podcast.

hubhopper

Confidences particulières

hubhopper