A Journey of Authentic Dialogue — Paula's Visit to China

Executive Vice President, Global Human Resources, Paula Fallowfield, visited China from Jul 23-28, embarking on a fruitful journey that included meetings with the local team and an immersive experience in China market. As she emphasized, "When time is tough, you need to speak up." This message was at the heart of the open and authentic dialogue conducted between the local and global teams.

𝐀𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 & 𝐂𝐨-𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐎𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦

Each local leader prepared in-depth business updates covering various aspects such as marketing, sales, and finance to share the latest trends and real situations with Paula. Following these presentations, she engaged in several rounds of discussions with the HR team to explore the development of an agile organization which can leverage the global network and suitable for local market. To build an efficient future organization for tackling challenges and seizing rebound opportunities, we need to cultivate team resilience and enhance operational excellence.

Additionally, she also met with HR representatives from other business units, such as Tiffany, Beauty, Watches and Jewelry to gain a deeper understanding of the China market. They exchanged local experience about channel integration and workforce optimization to enhance organization efficiency.

Furthermore, Paula visited the innovative "The Louis" boat, and experienced the “China speed” with local team together.

𝐃𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬: 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚’𝐬 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬

Paula prioritized human insights over sales data. She showed genuine care for the working conditions of frontline staff, visiting their break rooms and noting the uniqueness of the China market, such as INS Park and stores in Hainan province. She also learned that high-net-worth clients contribute significantly to the Qiantan retail shop, which is different to the French and US markets. These firsthand observations were brought back to headquarters for future planning.

𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞: 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐕𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 & 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬

Lastly, Paula initiated a talent townhall, where she openly addressed challenging questions, stating, "Change needs patience, like teaching a baby to walk; it’s a step-by-step process." She brought local voices back to the headquarters and shared global strategies with us. Meanwhile, the senior leadership also mentioned the confidence in the China market remains unchanged. This townhall inspired local talents to move forward with vision and determination.

This productive journey marks not just an end but a significant step forward in fostering ongoing conversations between the local and global teams, which is also the reflection of the headquarters' great expectations for the China market.

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