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HEC Paris MBA Sparkles At Jeweller Pandora

Dan Harrison headed to Paris for an MBA and landed a job in in luxury goods in Hong Kong

By  

Tue Jan 10 2012

BusinessBecause

American Daniel Harrison used his MBA at France’s top school HEC Paris, plus an exchange in Hong Kong, to boost his career in the luxury jewellery industry and make the switch to Asia.

Dan, 31, grew up in New Jersey and studied for an undergraduate degree in Economics and International Business at Pennsylvania State University. He worked at IBM and then for three years at luxury jewellery firm Tiffany, but wanted to step outside his comfort zone and advance his career internationally.

His MBA proved pivotal to securing his role in a global jewellery firm in the highest growth market in the world. He is now Director of Retail Operations at Pandora, which specializes in designing, manufacturing and marketing hand-finished modern jewellery made from genuine materials.
 

Pandora jewellery is sold in over 65 countries on six continents and Dan explained to us that it has grown by tapping into an under-served area of the market: accessible luxury. “Women are always looking for ways to express themselves through their jewellery but without having to pay luxury brand prices,” he says.


Dan knew that the best way to achieve his goals was to hit the ground running. After considering top schools in France and Spain he ultimately chose HEC Paris because of the student diversity and the focus on general management.
Dan has many fond recollections about his time at HEC Paris: “The best things about my experience were the interactions, connections and friendships made with people from all over the world”. He says that “this was a truly enriching aspect of the experience.”

He also thoroughly enjoyed his campus experience. HEC Paris runs the yearly MBA Tournament (MBAT) which hosts around 1500 students from all over Europe for the biggest business school sport tournament in the world.
Dan was in charge of the event and thrived as it tested his ability to think and react both strategically and operationally. ”It was a great way to test my leadership ability, project management and time management skills while learning to trust others in order to accomplish a project and give all the participants a memorable experience,” he says.

Dan has been able to thrive at Pandora using the skills he gained in his MBA, in no less a market than shopping-obsessed Hong Kong! The McKinsey Quarterly recently predicted that by 2015, Chinese consumers will account for more than 20 per cent of the global luxury market.

Dan’s role involves him overseeing all Pandora company-owned stores within Hong Kong. He first gained exposure to the Hong market during his exchange programme at Chinese University Hong Kong (CUHK).
In his role he is responsible for building the brand through marketing, expanding the store footprint in Hong Kong, driving sales and focusing on creating best practices which are utilized throughout Asia. It is a diverse role which provides unique challenges every day.

Dan’s HEC Paris MBA and CUHK exchange have helped him a lot, filling some of the gaps in his experience and allowing him to transition from an operational role pre-MBA to a general management role post-MBA. 

Student Reviews

CUHK MBA

Student

Verified

23/09/2022

Blended

One of a kind

I studied Bioinformatics at CUHK last year. It was the only Master's degree in Hong Kong in this field. This program developed my analytical skills and equipped me to be a Bioinformatician in a very practical way. I enjoyed my year here and met classmates from different parts of the world. If you are thinking to enhance your profile, this degree program would be a good option.

Student

Verified

19/11/2021

On Campus

general education courses, unique college system, large campus

The university facilitates multi-dimension and interdisciplinary learning. In social science faculty, we need to choose courses as our faculty package from other departments (architecture, psychology, sociology, etc.) to learn more than our major required courses. We are also required to finish general education courses, which aid our critical thinking and humanistic sensibilities. I do recommend the social science broad-based program, and the professors I met so far are all responsible and erudite.

Student

Verified

28/10/2017

LLM

The faculty of law is relatively new. You do not need to have a LLB to pursue a LLM, which is special. The taught programme is great for mature students who want to obtain legal knowledge. CUHK has good teaching staff too.

Student

Verified

20/10/2017

Amazing Campus and Great Educational Environment

Not only is CUHK's main campus breathtaking, it provides for a good educational environment for students. The university is well-equipped with modern and up-to-date facilities to help students with their study. We have 8 libraries in total around the campus; one for media, one for architectural studies, the medical library and the law library. The Professors are always helpful and are happy to talk to students when needed. Moreover, the college system within the university brings forth the uniqueness of CUHK. Each student belongs to a different college, and in that students are able to meet different peoples from different countries and students from different faculties. I think CUHK provides for a well-rounded university life for all students.

Student

Verified

17/10/2017

exthrillating

One of the most down to earth places in HK. A great opportunity to learn and embody the local culture. Also had one the most beautiful campus in Hong Kong up on the hillside. Glad to have graduated here.

Student

Verified

5/10/2017

Innovative and Supportive

My university provided me with all the support I needed, and encouraged me to be up to date with all the new developments in the world. They also provided me with the incentive to excel at what I do, and they take much pride in my achievements. I have had a very rewarding university experience.

Student

Verified

2/10/2017

Small, New But Friendly Law School

To being with, I think the campus of CUHK is the best and the biggest in Hong Kong, with fresh air and trees everywhere. I am an undergraduate Law student at CUHK and I think the teaching here is great, with very friendly and nice professors and the new Lee Shau Kee Building. In terms of the courses offered by CUHK, as one of the largest universities in Hong Kong, CUHK is an all-rounded university, offering a wide range of courses to students. Students may take the introductory courses of discipline other than their own major, or even declare a minor. For law electives, due to the small amount of intake, the variety of law electives are not that huge. However, the Faculty is offering some international programmes, which can be treated as law electives, but at the same time, provide us with an opportunity to travel and know more about the legal system of another country. The career support from the Faculty of Law is also amazing. The Faculty will organise CV Sessions and talks on how to get an internship from law firms or mini-pupillage from barrister's chambers. Each student will also have a Distinguished Professional Mentor, which is a current legal profession, providing us with practical advices and updates of the legal field. Finally, from my personal experience, I think the students in CUHK are friendly and genuine. As Law students, competition is inevitable for grades, GPAs, vacation schemes and training contract. However, I think the competition in CUHK Law School is a positive one, in a sense that help us grow together, instead of fighting with each other no matter what. That is the biggest reason why I am having a very good time here in CUHK Law School.

Student

Verified

30/09/2017

A place to explore your interests

As a law graduate from CUHK (both undergrad and post-grad), I realise that I had many opportunities to explore my areas of interests (legal and non-legal both). The faculty/university requires us to take a certain number of non-law electives, and offers a plethora of courses to choose from. Personally, I took 3 modules in Korean --I can't say it's made me highly proficient, but it's definitely given me a good foundation (I can walk into a Korean restaurant and confidently order food, at the very least). The fact that language courses are offered also provides students who are more financially constrained an opportunity to learn a language without having to shell out a premium for a decent language course. On top of that, we have a range of law electives as well. I know of classmates who have developed lasting interest in different areas of law because of the electives they took in school. The two electives that I would say have changed me is (i) mooting and (ii) family law. I think my experience in an international commercial arbitration moot competition has helped tremendously in formulating legal arguments and legal writing. On the other hand, taking a family law elective has made me very interested in the family law practice, especially in terms of child rights. For these experiences which I have gained, I'm grateful for the opportunities provided by the school. One main issue most students I know have is with the way our GPA is calculated and the lack of transparency in terms of how the honours system works. As our GPA is marked on a curve. it's highly unrepresentative of what we have achieved as individuals. Given that our GPA is the only criteria that is looked at when we apply for the compulsory post-graduate law course (mandatory should we want to practise law and/or be trainees in Hong Kong), it will put our own students at a distinct disadvantage when we compete for limited spaces with students from schools where GPA is not on a bell curve.

Student

Verified

27/06/2022

On Campus

Valuable time in CUHK

I like the learning environment and people at CUHK. Surrounded by hills and Tolo Harbour, CUHK provides a balance between nature and hustle. You can always escape from the busy study life and meet your friend around the big campus for different activities.

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