Bloom your power and experience French life aesthetics | A review of the East China Alumni Association's special event for Women’s Day

The Women's Day special event of the East China alumni club of emlyon business school in France and the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France were held on March 9, 2024 at the Rui Wen She Power Center. This event was jointly organized by the East China alumni association, the Lifestyle Club and the Good Business Center. The event specially invited three alumni:

• Gao Yi, alumnus of the class of 2004,
• Zhao Lin, alumnus of the class of 2012,
• and Ying Yue, alumnus of the class of 2017,

for an in-depth conversation about French life aesthetics. Let’s look back at this unforgettable event.

This event was fully supported by Ling Fengqing, secretary-general of the Lifestyle Club of emlyon business school, deputy secretary-general of the East China alumni association of emlyon business school & secretary-general of the Social Impact Club. Zong Xinzhu, an alumnus of the PGE program in 2020, served as the host of the event. The event included an introduction to the emlyon business school alumni association, guests sharing their insights and experience, and a roundtable discussion.

Presentation of the emlyon business school alumni association
Building an alumni network and sharing platform resources

First of all, Qian Guoxin, President of the East China Student alumni association of emlyon business school delivered a speech at the opening of the event. President Qian said that he has witnessed the rise of women's power. He declared that the courage, wisdom and perseverance they have shown in all walks of life are changing our world and celebrated the many outstanding women among our alumni who dared to pursue their dreams and continued to pay attention to the development and growth of women. He also stressed that he hopes that more and more outstanding women realize their self-worth, both in life and in the workplace.
 

Afterwards, Mrs. Peng Peng, Associate Director of Corporate Relations and Careers Service of emlyon business school Asia Campus made a brief presentation of the emlyon business school alumni association, which has formed a global alumni network and often holds rich and diverse alumni activities. In China, the existing alumni organizations include the East China alumni association and the North China alumni association. Mrs. Peng Peng said that she looked forward to the active participation of all alumni in the multiple clubs that exist within the alumni association. At the same time, Mrs. Peng Peng pointed out the remarkable achievements of emlyon business school in industry and university research. It has multiple research centers in Asia and has built an industry-university-research ecosystem in which alumni are welcome to have in-depth understanding and cooperation.
 

Alumni guests
“First you have to love it, then everything comes second.”

Gao Yi is a 2004 alumnus of the MBA program of emlyon business school. She is currently the executive director of the East China alumni association and the vice president of the Lifestyle Club. She has 10 years of strategic consulting experience in Paris and is also the co-founder of ST DORÉ. Gao Yi shared her entrepreneurial experience and insights.
 

Gao Yi first did strategic consulting (corporate development, mergers and acquisitions) for ten years in Paris. Her entrepreneurial journey originated from a self-driving trip to Taiwan, during which she became particularly interested in jewelry. After the trip, she learned about jewelry design and later founded the ST DORÉ brand, beginning a challenging entrepreneurial journey. Gao Yi further shared the design concept and unique design process of ST DORÉ.

Finally, Gao Yi discussed with everyone some common problems that you encounter in the process of starting a business(, and quoted a famous saying of Somerset Maugham to encourage everyone: "If you have the ability to appreciate the beauty of a leaf or a flower, then life will be impossible." What about you?"). She shared that uncertainty and anxiety are normal in the process of starting a business, and all we have to do is maintain our passion and be down-to-earth and do what we think is right.
 

“French art of living at the table”

Zhao Lin is an alumnus of the Grande Ecole Program of emlyon business school in France. He has worked in consumer goods companies such as Clarins and Beaumanoir. He is currently the chief representative of the French VDS home textile group in Greater China and the brand manager of Alexandre Turpault. In this event, Zhao Lin introduced us to the "French Art of Living on the Dinner Table".
 

Zhao Lin first shared her work experience as chief representative, and introduced the development history, unique craftsmanship and ingenuity of the brand. Afterwards, Zhao Lin provided us with an in-depth analysis of the traditional origin of the French art of living. She emphasized that the art of living does not exist in isolation, but is closely connected with the evolution of the times and cultural development. The same is true for the French art of living, which has a profound historical heritage and carries rich cultural connotations.

Afterwards, Zhao Lin used table layout as an example to demonstrate how to integrate French life aesthetics into daily life. Zhao Lin believes that the French art of living does not mean completely made in France or imported from France, but a unique aesthetics of life. We only need to cleverly incorporate some French elements into our daily lives to give our lives a different style and charm.

Perfume Knowledge and Tasting

Ying Yue is a 2017 alumnus of the Grande Ecole program of emlyon business school and is currently the business manager of the MANE Flavors and Fragrances Company. In this event, Ying Yue shared knowledge about perfumes and fragrances and their appreciation.
 

Ying Yue first introduced the development history and innovation journey of Mane for more than 150 years. Next, Ying Yue shared knowledge about perfume and fragrance from five aspects: perfume history, Chinese perfume market information, fragrance raw materials, fragrance definition, and fragrance family.

During the explanation process, Ying Yue brought us into the world of fragrance with vivid pictures and text, and, through on-site smelling, we experienced the unique charm of different fragrances.