Tomorrow... as seen by Stéphane Voyer

Alumni BSB'93, Vice President of Human Resources at LVMH Japan

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Stéphane Voyer, who graduated from BSB in 1993, is currently Vice President of Human Resources at LVMH Japan. Here he tells how he sees the future of his profession, his sector, his company, with the rise of environmental, technological and social responsibility issues, and of course the impacts associated with the Covid-19 crisis, a period that for him “tests our sense of responsibility, stimulates creativity and our ability to adapt!”

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“Half of my career has been with Procter & Gamble, in Europe, in marketing, sales and human resources, and the other half with LVMH, over the past 12 years. I was first HR Director of the cosmetics branch before becoming Talent Director, then HR Director of the wine and spirits branch. For 4 years, I have been in Japan, one of the three largest markets for LVMH, which has no less than 8,000 employees.

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My scope is very diversified since it includes all the companies in the group. Japan is a critical market for our distribution, which has 800 points of sale across the country. Japan is a historic and founding space for luxury, with a very sophisticated consumer education, and which has opened up more widely to the world in recent years, in particular through tourism — going from 1 to 32 million visitors per year in about fifteen years. Finally... we are talking about the period leading up to the coronavirus crisis...

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Differentiating “soft skills”

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When it comes to human resources professions, the question of the future is always a fundamental issue. The talent market is constantly evolving and changing, regardless of the current crisis. Looking ahead, for my part, I think that academia will probably have less and less weight in favor of “soft skills”, which will make a difference. For me, soft skills are the most important in this globalized world.

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You have to know how to influence others, be culturally agile, and have a keen understanding of situations. Already today, a diploma is no longer enough; the truth no longer lies only in elitist technical knowledge. As of today, it is no longer the ultra-qualified who occupy the main executive positions in the largest companies. “Soft skills” have completely reshuffled the cards; knowing how to be is decisive for decision-making positions.

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So academic foundations remain important, but are no longer fundamental. In any case: they are no longer sufficient. And that makes our job extremely complex. In a logic of skills pyramid, we will look for critical interpersonal skills. And as a result, we are very interested in personality. In particular, we are looking for attributes and personal traits that demonstrate great curiosity, the ability to take initiative, to move forward with agility and to navigate multiple forms of ambiguity.

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Openness and agility

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Stéphane Voyer The world of luxury is particular because it is a sector of rare products and services that are unique, desirable and of high quality. In luxury, what makes the difference is understanding the customer while surprising them and exceeding their expectations. There are strong links with the world of art, creation, design and architecture. We seek to offer with excellence products and experiences full of emotion, with dimensions of desire, quality, excellence.

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Today, at LVMH, the selection and development of talent is completely global, much more than at the beginning of the stories of each of the Houses that make up the group. There is a great multiculturality and new jobs are emerging. Having great multicultural ease, open-mindedness and the agility to learn continuously are distinctive assets. In this respect, French students have enormous assets because they generally have a very strong international exposure and were able to have real experiences in a real situation very early on.

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These developments complicate and add requirements to the academic curriculum. For example, in the reversal of the hierarchy of important things that is taking place, the fact of speaking English and having international experiences: today, it is just the base, it is no longer what makes the difference. Now, more and better is needed to emerge among a profusion of talents whose origins and competition are global.

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This situation is also an advantage for a school like BSB, which can do well because it has long valued behavioral skills. In any case, whether for businesses or schools, there is a need to change the lens and frame of reference in order to better appreciate what is at stake in the needs of structures at the international level.

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Take the example of VIE: it is a fabulous asset that is offered in France! A great “product” that is largely underestimated in my opinion. In any case, we, HR managers abroad, highly appreciate these French profiles, for me among the best “junior” profiles that I know on a global scale, who are invested over the long term in a mission and a geographical space. I think that schools should be even more interested in it, it is an exceptional passport to have responsibilities abroad.

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HR department creating value

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The other wave of transformations for businesses concerns the aspirations of these talents within them. They are evolving greatly! The purpose of businesses must take into account the aspirations of talent, while talents, on the other hand, must be interested in the purpose and values of companies. Today, we are in a transparent world, everything is known about what is happening within organizations, everything is accessible. Making the wrong company choice is closely linked to a form of negligence — or lack of investigation on the part of talent.

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It is clear that today companies are very committed in terms of CSR and citizen contribution, and these issues are at the heart of corporate strategies. They are no longer ancillary or marginal: this is where we start to develop any form of vision. And that's also why the HR role has taken on an absolutely exciting dimension, since it is now “at the table” when it comes to defining business strategy, and because as a result, transformation in HR jobs is even more important than elsewhere.

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Look at the initiative launched at the start of the Covid-19 crisis in France: when LVMH transformed 3 of its factories in 3 days to produce hand sanitizer, internal pride is immeasurable, the external impact is enormous, the meaning is powerful. This type of business decision gives an incredible dimension to the HR role. Today, on a daily basis, I talk as much about CSR, citizenship, citizenship, diversity, diversity, inclusion, sustainable development, parity... as I do about operating accounts, recruitment, training. The HR manager creates value today.

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In the processes we implement, we have a direct impact on society, not only in our business, it's fabulous. And when we do that, we also do marketing, communication and sales... The HR manager is required to develop his know-how, since by touching these areas, he requires skills that are not traditional in HR.

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This is why, more generally, HR jobs are diversifying considerably, in terms of the skills required, and all the more so in the types of profiles sought. They are becoming more complex and hybrid, since it is necessary to know how to combine traditional HR skills with these essential complements that are soft skills and new jobs.

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Large gap in the luxury sector

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In its modernity, the luxury sector faces a real paradox: it is an experiential environment in which customers want to touch products, while wanting to have everything “just a click away”. But I don't think that last dimension is going to take everything away. Physical retail will remain a norm, and the digital experience will come in symbiosis, again in a form of hybridization.

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The other fundamental challenge of the sector is its contribution to sustainable development, with strong objectives. We are talking about an industry that works with rare materials and that must maintain their sustainability. This involves adapting the entire value chain, and in particular ensuring the integrity of as many steps as possible up the chain.

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This is taking concrete form, for example, with the acquisition of livestock farms for Kashmir. The idea is for everything to be integrated vertically, for the steps to no longer be compartmentalized, in order to ensure traceability and ensure the quality of the final product. This is also the way in which the issue of animal safety can be taken into account, for example with regard to crocodile farms for exotic leathers.

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It is also the logic that prevails in the acquisition of small heritage companies and this increasingly high level of sourcing: we remain and nourish a sector of rare trades. From crafts to digital, this is what offers a big and fascinating gap in this industry, with digitization becoming more and more important. Tomorrow, luxury may be one of the few sectors of activity that is fully integrated, from the sourcing of materials to the complete experience of the end customer, with all that this means in terms of diversity of jobs, profiles, and internationality.

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Far beyond the luxury sector, HR jobs will become more sophisticated with technologies and the exploitation of big data. But this will remain essentially a means — to recruit better, better anticipate — necessary, but not sufficient.

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Coronavirus: review your priorities and see the opportunities

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Between earthquakes, the tsunami and the nuclear crisis, typhoons and their human consequences, Japan has a strong resilience in its DNA. It is a very strong marker here, and it is interesting to see how Covid-19, this other major event, also contributes to influencing things in terms of the transformation of the country, the relationship with work, the aspirations of different generations, etc.

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I am always a bit wary of big tirades about the future. I would be careful not to make any predictions about our models. But this crisis will probably allow the acceleration of awareness on a series of social issues.

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Look at what is happening in China after the peak of the Covid-19 crisis: rather, revenge spending phenomena. I am curious to see how things will evolve... sustainably?

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Today we are witnessing the beginnings of behavioral changes, but are we going to change them just as drastically for a few weeks or a few months? These are good questions that are hard to answer.

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In any case, from a strict HR point of view, this crisis reveals the critical importance of proximity to teams and individuals, it amplifies the need for local responses with decisions that are as close as possible to events: in this situation, our jobs make perfect sense.”