Blog
In this #LuxeTalentBlog we met Daniela Animento, Country Manager Italy & DACH at Luxe Talent; to find out what are the needs of luxury houses and discuss the evolution of HR in this industry.
Daniela has over a decade of experience in HR and before joining Luxe Talent, she worked at Desigual and Louis Vuitton, where she managed 6 countries in the Mediterranean as HRBP.
What is the key to successfully leading a team in a luxury brand as an HR manager?
We often approach luxury as if it were a completely different world... However, in the end, we always deal with people, so the keys are the same, you have to know:
- Your team.
- How to relate to each of its members.
- What are the motivations, difficulties and areas for improvement of each one.
These three keys will allow you to adapt your approach and avoid being too rigid. We cannot apply the same type of management to everyone, because each person is different.
What is the key to managing such a large area?
At Louis Vuitton we managed a very large area of 6 countries; with different cultures, different languages, different currencies... again, the key is the human factor. Establishing relationships with everyone, a relationship of mutual confidence so that they trust you and share their needs, their problems, their difficulties... for me the secret has always been a very close relationship with the members of my team and each of the employees I supported.
How can you transmit the brand values and philosophy to the entire workforce?
Conveying the brand values and philosophy to the rest of the staff is one of the most important objectives as an HR professional.
First it is important as a person to recognise yourself in these values and to appreciate them. If you own them, then you will be able to share and transmit them to the other employees.
In terms of recruitment, it is also very important to present the project, the environment... and to educate the candidates, explaining everything the company has to offer in terms of career, environment, growth opportunities...
My secret has always been to feel that I am the first person to be involved and represented by the values of the brands I have worked for.
What qualities make a team leader stand out in the luxury sector?
A manager in the luxury sector has to understand very well the environment in which we are working. Because he or she is the person responsible for communicating it to the rest of the team.
We always work with people and in the luxury sector we remain people.
It is essential to understand very well the environment in which we are working, as well as some important values and criteria when dealing with high-value products and clients with high purchasing power. Obviously, in the luxury sector, the way of communicating and expressing oneself, having an image aligned with the products and the brand is very important.
What skills or knowledge are Louis Vuitton employees expected to develop over the scope of their career?
In the Luxury sector, there is always a strong emphasis on growth and continuous training in the course of an employee's career. There are two important axes:
- The product
- People and customers
A detailed knowledge of the product is very important to develop within a luxury brand, as well as knowledge of trends and competitors in the sector. Moreover, training in the field of management, communication and interaction with colleagues and customers is also essential. There are always many training opportunities and we try to encourage the growth and development of internal talent.
The career path is very focused on areas where each employee can develop and feels comfortable and motivated to do so. Again, personalization is the key.
What is the secret to getting the best out of junior and senior talent?
It is very important to differentiate these two types of people in our team and relate to them differently.
With a junior employee I will do more follow-up, coaching, shadowing, and more monitoring in order to detect training needs and areas for improvement.
With a senior talent, the best and most productive thing to do is to give them more freedom to express themselves and achieve results using their professional background. It is also better to provide a more distanced follow-up and accompaniment to better understand what is going on. Whereas a senior talent will feel limited with a pushy follow-up. Indeed, it is better to give more freedom to experienced employees to help them manage themselves in an autonomous way.
Where is HR management heading?
HR management depends very much on the business objective and the mindset of the general manager and CEO of each company. Human resources are at the service of the business side. Also as a result of the pandemic, we have realised that there is more focus on work-life balance, values and the importance of providing a good employee experience.
The pandemic has helped us to give more importance to the contribution that HR can make to business.
In my opinion, HR is at the service of internal customers, who are none other than the employees, because in a sector like luxury and retail, where customer service is essential, we have to offer excellent support to our employees. This applies at every level, from the sales assistant in the boutique to the senior manager providing assistance from the office. So, in a company where human resources are truly valued and not limited to an administrative role supporting the business, the working environment will definitely be improved, commitment to employees will be stronger and staff turnover will be lower.
How can Luxe Talent benefit from your experience at Louis Vuitton?
My previous experience is very important to me in Luxe Talent, because it allows me:
First of all, to have a very detailed knowledge of the types of profiles needed by companies within this sector.
Then, also because I have an in-depth knowledge of the internal protocols and procedures inside these companies, which helps me to detect the needs of our managers, of our clients and to understand the difficulties they may encounter. I also have knowledge of the various phases of a selection process, so I can also guide the candidates and inform them about the phases we are in, what is happening, why it is taking so long to receive a response...
I value very much my previous experience in firms as Louis Vuitton. That now is definitely facilitating my work with the current clients in the luxury sector, in which I have had direct experience for many years.
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