For the last in Glion's short series profiling Executive Master’s in Luxury Management and Guest Experience students, Glion caught up with one of the individuals they spoke to before the program kicked-off – Chief Executive Officer of IMA ART Fertility, Michelle Tang.
“Our aim is to be recognized as the pre-eminent luxury fertility and surrogacy concierge provider in the world. We want to be the best, not the biggest – to be a brand that lasts and helps families create future generations.”
It’s this ambition, stated by Chief Executive Officer of IMA ART Fertility Michelle Tang in an interview with The Insider, that inspired the current Executive Master’s student to sign up for the first-ever flexible study Luxury Management and Guest Experience postgraduate degree program.
“My company already projects a high-end image; now with this Master’s, I want to make sure we will over-deliver on our clients’ expectations,” explains Michelle. “While researching what it means to be a luxury brand, I stumbled across Glion and quickly learned what was on offer.
“It became clear an Executive Master’s in Luxury Management and Guest Experience would add another important dimension to our service. I am the first from the fertility and surrogacy concierge space to enrol in such a prestigious European school and I’m convinced what I learn at Glion will facilitate our taking the guest experience to the next level.”
Michelle’s fertility company started out in Hong Kong, but relocated to Beverly Hills, California, to make clients’ experiences as enjoyable as possible. With a background in banking, accounting and insurance, it’s perhaps puzzling that she has chosen to specialize in the field of luxury fertility. However, professional and personal experience made it the natural choice.
“I’m used to the long working hours necessary to lead a luxury business,” she says. “And importantly, my work at UBS instilled in me the acute need for absolute privacy – experience that has carried over and served me well in the fertility and surrogacy space.
“On a personal level, my own challenges with infertility, including one failed IVF and a miscarriage over a four-year period, instilled a gut-wrenching feeling of empathy for clients arriving here in Los Angeles.”
Going the distance
So how does a full-time company CEO with a particularly hands-on role find the time for a Master’s? Michelle credits the program’s flexibility for facilitating her studies.
“Distance learning allows me to continue managing our operations and receiving clients here in Beverly Hills,” she says. “We make ourselves available when our clients want us to be there, so without this as an option, there was no way I would have been able to join the inaugural Executive Master’s class.”
That said, Michelle also valued the residential week at our Swiss campus that all our Executive Master’s students are expected to attend in person.
“We spent a week at Glion’s Montreux campus,” she says. “The facilities, the location and especially the people were gorgeous. We dined at the Michelin star restaurant on campus – a delightful experience – and I especially appreciated the time and space we were given to meet my classmates and faculty members in person.
“Also included in the week were two field trips to Clinique La Prairie in Montreux and Royal Savoy Hotel & Spa in Lausanne. These added important credibility and first-hand learning experience to what we’re taught in the physical and virtual classroom.”
Above and beyond
As well as enjoying the residential week, Michelle has been mightily impressed with the learning experience offered by the Executive Master’s and by the quality of Glion’s teaching faculty.
“Listening to and learning from seasoned senior professionals in their respective fields has been really valuable and I’d say it is the single most important investment in tomorrow’s leaders,” she says. “Their skills and experience have thus far covered hospitality, medical treatments, luxury brands management, intercultural leadership, high gastronomy, wellness, digital and sustainability. It’s incredibly comprehensive, multi-faceted and enlightening.
“Perhaps most intriguing was Glion assigning me to an experienced Executive Coach, who worked with me over three sessions. I had never seen this in an educational environment and I thought it was both a unique and indeed a luxury touch.”
So what advice does Michelle have for prospective Executive Master’s students who want to get the best out of the program?
“Be prepared to invest a certain amount of time every day into this wonderful opportunity,” she advises. “What each of you put in, you will take out tenfold. And never stop imagining how to connect the dots.”
To find out more about IMA ART Fertility, visit the website
Read this interview with Michelle in The Insider here
Read the first interview with Michelle in The Insider here
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