University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD), the first international university and highest-ranked Australian university in the UAE, today announced the launch of a new master’s degree – Global Executive Master in Luxury Management (GEMLux). Created in partnership with the prestigious Italian business school Politecnico di Milano’s Graduate School of Business (MIP), the program’s advisory committee includes representatives of some of the UAE’s top brands, such as the Chalhoub Group, Daimler Middle East and Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons.
To be offered at UOWD’s campus in Dubai Knowledge Park from January 2020, the dual-degree program is designed to empower professionals to evolve as luxury brand managers, fashion retail buyers, branding and PR specialists, creative directors, brand ambassadors and visual merchandising executives.
Professor Mohammed Salem, President of UOWD, said: “As a key tourism and luxury shopping destination, Dubai is considered one of the major hubs for young working professionals seeking to enter the luxury brand management field. Furthermore, the market for luxury products and experiences in the GCC region is growing exponentially, with high spending per capita and an informed target market that has the purchasing power to afford luxury goods.
“UOWD’s GEMLux program will bridge the gap between luxury goods and business management. It will also be a big draw for professionals who wish to deepen their knowledge of luxury management, and enhance their creative and managerial skills in the luxury goods and services sector.”
He added: “The launch of this degree in partnership with the prestigious Politecnico di Milano is a testament to UOWD’s ongoing commitment to offering globalised higher education curricula that enable its graduates to explore lucrative career options.”
As part of the four-semester curriculum, students will travel to global luxury shopping and fashion capitals – Milan, Geneva and Paris – to participate in factory tours, as well as visit the headquarters of luxury brands, exhibitions and industry fairs to gain exposure to game changers in luxury retail.
The GEMLux degree course highlights include strategy, contract negotiation, luxury customer experience design and marketing, supply chain management, brand management and distribution.
The postgraduate programme comes in response to the high uptake the UAE luxury market has enjoyed – growing at a CAGR of 7.4 per cent since 2018 and anticipated to reach US$14.9 billion by 2023. In addition, Bain & Company’s annual luxury report estimates the growth of online luxury shopping in the region at 22 per cent – almost double that of the rest of the world – accounting for 10 per cent of all luxury sales globally.
Professor Alessandro Brun, Director of GEMLux at the Politecnico di Milano School of Management, said: “The need for managerial competencies in the luxury market is higher than ever before for several reasons, such as increasing global competition, the fast pace of change, going ‘back to the basics’ to embrace and nurture the heritage of craftsmanship, the need to manage complex global supply chains and international compliance regulations.
“This landscape creates fantastic opportunities for professionals and major luxury brands. Our exciting new program benefits both master’s students and industry leaders, and we are confident that it will significantly contribute to the ongoing development of the luxury management field.”
As an eligibility criterion, the course mandates candidates to possess three to four years of work experience. For further information on the programme, please visit https://admissions.uowdubai.ac.ae/luxury-management/, or contact UOWD’s admissions office on info@uowdubai.ac.ae or 800-UOWD.
