Industry Backs Global Luxury Program

An advisory board composed of top industry executives will help oversee NC State’s dual graduate degree in global luxury management, offered by the Poole College of Management and SKEMA Business School in collaboration with NC State’s College of Textiles. SKEMA is a global business school with campuses in Asia, Europe and America.

The 16 advisory board members include leaders in various sectors of the luxury market, including apparel, transportation, consulting, home furnishings, hospitality, investments and accessories.

Chair Ellen Rohde said the new global luxury management program combines key strengths at both NC State and SKEMA.

“This provides a unique opportunity for students to learn about the business of luxury, gain experience in the world of luxury, and begin to develop their career path in this exciting industry,” she said. “I am pleased to be part of that process.”

The program’s first graduates are working full-time or completing internships this summer. They will receive two master’s degrees in December: one from NC State and the other from SKEMA. The 18 students entered the program with diverse undergraduate backgrounds, including business management, brand marketing, design, textiles and film. They completed coursework at NC State last fall and at SKEMA’s campus in France in the spring.

Forty-six students have already been accepted for the 2013-14 academic year, with half admitted through Poole College and half through SKEMA.

Advisory board members will serve three-year terms. They are:

• Ellen Rohde, president of the ELR Group, Scottsdale, Ariz. Retired senior executive of VF Corp.
• Jim Beley, general manager of the Umstead Hotel and Spa, Raleigh, N.C.
• Joe Blair, president and chairman of Individualized Apparel Group, New York.
• Lisa Boyles, vice president of sales and marketing at VIETRI, Hillsborough, N.C.
• Larry D. Coats Jr., private investor, Apex, N.C.
• Russell Cohen, consultant and former chairman and co-chief executive officer of Carlyle & Co.
• Lyn B. Conger, founding partner of Taylor Richards and Conger, Charlotte, N.C.
• Jerome Espinos, president, footwear and accessories at Ralph Lauren, New York.
• Fred Gallasch, president of Gallasch Consulting Services, Franklin, Mich.
• Millie Graham, vice president of marketing at Peter Millar. Resides in Raleigh, N.C.
• Nicholas Krafft, president and chief executive officer of Christofle Silver, Inc., New York.
• Alberto Carlo Milani, chief executive officer of Buccellati-Americas, New York.
• Gaurav Patel, president of Eschelon Hospitality, Raleigh, N.C.
• Milton Pedraza, founder and chief executive officer of Luxury Institute, LLC.
• Christy L. Phillips, partner at Franklin Street Partners, Raleigh, N.C.
• Ashley Swigart, senior director of business development at Christofle Silver, Inc., New York.