Main Conference Day 1 - 3rd June 2009

9:00 - Chair's Opening Address Denis Morisset (France), Consultant & Executive Director, Essec MBA in International Luxury Brand Management Chair's Opening Address Denis Morisset (France) Consultant & Executive Director, Essec MBA in International Luxury Brand Management Denis has worked for more than 20 years in the Luxury Fashion Industry and occupied CEO/COO positions with companies such as Polo Ralph Lauren (Europe), Pierre Balmain and Giorgio Armani (France). Denis’ particular focus and passion is emerging markets. He has collaborated with international companies on brand extensions & branding issues. His advice has also been invaluable to new brands and [read more]

09:45 - PANEL: Where are the opportunities during a downturn and how can you effectively capitalise on them? Ravi Thakran (Singapore), Group President - South Asia, South East Asia and Middle East, LVMH Johnathan Nguyen, President, Imex Pan Pacific (Vietnam) Where are the opportunities during a downturn and how can you effectively capitalise on them? While there is no doubt that the financial crisis is impacting Asia and the luxury consumer, the reality is that while consumption is softening there is still huge potential for growth. In this keynote panel, we will examine where the opportunities lie and how to effectively capitalize on them:  • Examining how luxury consumer spending behaviour varies across Asia and how to utilise this information effectively • Effectively evolving your strategies to cope with a softening of demand • Identifying hot regions to target to fill the consumption gap Ravi Thakran (Singapore) Group President - South Asia, South East Asia and Middle East, LVMH Ravi is also the Managing Partner for L Capital Private Equity and Director for Groupe Arnault in Asia. Prior to joining LVMH, Ravi has worked with organisations like Godrej Soaps, Titan and Nike. In 1998, he became the youngest member of the Extended Group Management Board at Swatch Group, Switzerland Johnathan Nguyen President, Imex Pan Pacific (Vietnam) Johnathan is the President of Imex Pan Pacific which is the distributor for Salvatore Ferragamo, Bally, Burberry, TUMI, Tag Heuer and ILLY Espressamente. As an astute merchant, Johnathan combines a sure sense of what the market demands with the ability to maneuver projects to commercial success. He has been designated the Top Contributor to the Economic Development of Vietnam by the nation’s Prime [read more]

10:15 - Reaching out to the luxury consumer through dysemevas’ fresh & innovative pop-up concept Dee Poon (Hong Kong), Founder, dsymevas Reaching out to the luxury consumer through dysemevas’ fresh & innovative pop-up concept Through pop-up retail locations, shows, and exhibitions, dysemevas harnesses the creativity of the Chinese design scene and (re-)presents it to the Chinese consumer. Placing pieces that span from luxe to street and from intellectual to commercial side-by-side to create a dialogue, and through the use of a non-traditional commercial environment, dysemevas aims to redefine the way Chinese fashion and culture is understood today Dee Poon (Hong Kong) Founder, dsymevas Dee Poon is the founder of dysemevas, a fashion retail concept revolving around new Chinese talent. Upon her graduation from Harvard College in 2004, Dee spent two years working with her family building up the PYE brand. She is the editor-at-large of iLook, a fashion magazine based in China, and a featured columnist for Modern Weekly. Dee serves on the boards of the YL Yang-Esquel Education Founda [read more]

10:45 - Coffee Break Philippe Charriol, CEO and President, Charriol Coffee Break

11:00 - PANEL: Who are the uber affluent and how do you effectively engage them? Dev Suj, Managing Director, Brandista (Hong Kong) Tarun Tahiliani, Fashion Designer, Tarun Tahiliani (India) Johnathan Lobban, Editor-in-Cheif, The Rake (Hong Kong) Christine Bendle, Managing Director, Wall Street Journal (Hong Kong) Carson Chan, Managing Director and Watch Specialist, Bonhams (Hong Kong) Barney Cheng (Hong Kong), Director, Yenrabi Who are the uber affluent and how do you effectively engage them? • What is luxury and on what parameters do we define luxury? • What is the perception of luxury in the eyes of Asian consumers? • How do new definitions and new types of luxury impact running a luxury business in Asia? Dev Suj Managing Director, Brandista (Hong Kong) Dev Suj has more than 10 years of Luxury Industry experience having worked with a wide range of important Lifestyle/Luxury brands in various realms of brand development and creative marketing. Tarun Tahiliani Fashion Designer, Tarun Tahiliani (India) Tarun’s distinctive signature has since evolved as a fusion of textile detail, refined luxury, and meticulous tailoring. TT (as he is affectionately known) creates couture, diffusion, prêt-a-porter and accessory lines, which are Indian in their sensibility, yet international in their appeal. The rich heritage of the subcontinent is reinvented as contemporary high fashion through the genius of Indi [read more] Johnathan Lobban Editor-in-Cheif, The Rake (Hong Kong) A former contributor to Vogue China, Vogue Men China and deputy editor of GQ Australia, Jonathan Lobban is currently the Editor-in-Chief of The Rake, a luxury men’s magazine distributed in Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore and Malaysia. His book Hand of the Artisan: the Soul of Italian Luxury is the first in a four-part Artisan series examining legitimate luxury. Christine Bendle Managing Director, Wall Street Journal (Hong Kong) Christine Brendle is the Managing Director of Dow Jones Consumer Media Group in Asia. Based in Hong Kong, she has management responsibility for the commercial operations of The Wall Street Journal Asia, the monthly Far Eastern Economic Review and the Chinese-language Web site Chinese WSJ.com, and spearheads business development initiatives targeting consumers across Asia, both directly and through [read more] Carson Chan Managing Director and Watch Specialist, Bonhams (Hong Kong) Carson Chan graduated from the California State Polytechnic University with a Bachelor of Science degree in International Business in 1995. He returned to Hong Kong in 1997 to start his own company specialising in injection manufacturing. Two years later he became Bonhams’ Hong Kong representative. In 2004 he was appointed General Manager for Asia for luxury watch brand Richard Mille. Carson’s inv [read more] Barney Cheng (Hong Kong) Director, Yenrabi Barney Cheng studied Textile Design at the Royal College of Art in London and Fashion Illustration and History of European Costume at the Parson's School of Design in Paris, before graduating from the University of Waterloo, Canada, with a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts. In 1993 he participated in the Hong Kong Trade Development Council's Young Designer's Competition, and gained the Best Design Aw [read more]

11:45 - Assessing market entry strategies and business models suited to Asia Andrea Bonardi, Managing Director, La Perla Asia (Singapore) Assessing market entry strategies and business models suited to Asia This session will look at how you can overcome these challenges:  • Understand how to successfully launch and manage a luxury business in the Asian region to maximise market share while control brand image • Examining franchising and licensing models that work • Franchising versus directly operated stores - pros and cons and when to use which one? • Retail versus wholesale Andrea Bonardi Managing Director, La Perla Asia (Singapore) Andrea is responsible for finalising franchising agreements across the region. 15 La Perla stores can now be found in seven Asian markets with many more to open soon. Prior to La Perla, his passion for Asia translated into an opportunity to lead the Indo-Italian Chamber of Commerce in Bombay between 2001 and 2006. In those years the Chamber grew dramatically both in terms of size and visibility, a [read more]

12:15 - Building a robust and sustainable brand in China through strategic distribution and innovative communication strategies Allison Pyrah, Vice President Operations, Consumer Goods Business, Greater China, Swarovski Building a robust and sustainable brand in China through strategic distribution and innovative communication strategies Allison is responsible for strategic direction of the brand in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao. She has steered the brand from being a predominantly wholesale business to operating stand-alone retail shops throughout the region.Drawing on her experience in Greater China she will reveal: • Ensuring steady growth in primary, developed markets such as Beijing and Shanghai • Exploring new opportunities by expanding into second and third tier cities in China • Expanding the growth of your brand in China through Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan markets • Devising innovative communication strategies that strengthen your brand image and equity with the Chinese consumer Allison Pyrah Vice President Operations, Consumer Goods Business, Greater China, Swarovski Allison Pyrah is responsible for strategic direction of the brand in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao. She has steered the brand from being a predominantly wholesale business to operating their own retail shops throughout the region. Before joining Swarovski in 1998, Allison was Vice President for the Home Fashion and Cosmetics divisions at Lane Crawford in Hong Kong. As well as being in charge [read more]

12:45 - Lunch Philippe Charriol, CEO and President, Charriol Lunch

14:00 - Enhancing brand equity, engaging your customer and driving revenue online Eric Johnson, Vice President, Asia Pacific Online, Estee Lauder (Hong Kong) Enhancing brand equity, engaging your customer and driving revenue online For luxury brands, the internet provides both risks and opportunities. The opportunity of reaching out to new customers and engaging them in new ways is attractive however, how do you mitigate the inherent risks? It is widely accepted you cannot ignore the web and this session will detail how you can use the online channel to drive home your brand message and revenue. Key issues to be discussed include: • Effectively managing the reputation of your brand online • Ensuring & extending the customer experience on line • Assessing the opportunities and strategies for revenue growth Eric Johnson Vice President, Asia Pacific Online, Estee Lauder (Hong Kong) Eric is responsible for developing digital marketing and ecommerce strategies and solutions for Estee Lauder Company brands throughout Asia Pacific Region. Before his current role, Eric developed entry strategy and executed development and market trial for DFS’ luxury E-Commerce business in China (including web site, data center, warehouse and distribution network, call center, and payment gateway [read more]

14:30 - Creating a niche high end luxury brand Nupur’s collection comprises fine jewellery which exclusivelysold Le Bon Marche, Fred Segal, Saks Fifth Avenue plusspecialty boutiques in Palm Beach, the Hamptons and St Tropez in France. As an extremely high end jeweller, Nupurwill draw on her experience of growing a niche brand. •Developing a creative vision for the brand that will appealto high end consumers•Maintaining exclusivity and differentiating your brand whiledriving growth•Examining the effective use of media planning and PR despite smaller budgets•Optimising the relationship between retailer and principal to drive sales

15:00 - Coffee Break Philippe Charriol, CEO and President, Charriol Coffee Break BizLux-change Fast and Furious, Bring Plenty Of Business Cards! BizLux-change is an informal way to meet your fellow delegates. Structured around a series of informal 5 minute introductions, this is your opportunity to collect business cards, set up meetings or just get to know your peers who will shape the conference proceedings.

16:00 - Identifying and retaining talent to be your brand ambassadors Alessandro Paparelli, Regional Human Resources Director, Asia/Pacific, Ferragamo (Hong Kong) Identifying and retaining talent to be your brand ambassadors For all brands, retail staff will often be your first ambassadors. As such It is absolutely essential that they provide a superior quality of service that your customers demand. Based on his experience at Ferragamo, Alessandro will examine: • Setting the bar high and selecting the right talent to be your brand ambassadors • Astute sourcing strategies to find key talent • Effective training strategies to ensure competency at the front end of luxury retailing Alessandro Paparelli Regional Human Resources Director, Asia/Pacific, Ferragamo (Hong Kong) Alessandro Paparelli (M.I.H.R.M.), is Regional HR Director, Asia Pacific for Salvatore Ferragamo. Now based in Hong Kong, he previously worked at Ferragamo headquarters in Florence as Organizational Development Manager, after a career in Management Consulting and in Academy at Bocconi University of Milan.

16:30 - Assessing mutually beneficial business models for effective luxury partnership Eric Douilhet, CEO, Bluebell (Asia) Ltd (Hong Kong) Assessing mutually beneficial business models for effective luxury partnership Strategic partnerships are only beneficial if they achieve the initial goals set out. • Assessing what types of partnerships are available • Considerations that need to come into play when deciding who to partner with • Effectively structuring a partnership to ensure that there are tangible and measurable outcomes that are beneficial for all parties Eric Douilhet CEO, Bluebell (Asia) Ltd (Hong Kong) Eric Douilhet, CEO, Bluebell (Asia) Ltd (Hong Kong) Eric Douilhet has 18-years of experience in Asia, having managed various businesses in Japan, Korea and region wide. After 15 years of career in L'Oreal, he joined bluebell, first as head of the Japan operations, and became CEO of bluebell group in 2005. He has a broad experience in brand building and retail business models in the luxury industry [read more]

17:00 - Chair's Closing Remarks Philippe Charriol, CEO and President, Charriol Chair's Closing Remarks

17:15 - Gala Cocktail Reception Philippe Charriol, CEO and President, Charriol Gala Cocktail Reception Socialise with your peers in style by enjoying informal networking and cocktails with your peers. This is an excellent opportunity to continue the keen debate of the day in a relaxed environment. There's no better time to get to know your industry peers. Don't forget to bring your business cards!