Luxury Management: Food, Fashion, and Furniture

This program, jointly offered by CKGSB and SDA Bocconi School of Management, provides a dual focus on Italy’s flagship industries, including fashion, food, furniture, and luxury goods, as well as emerging technology sectors such as FinTech and AI. 

It aims to equip you with the knowledge and skills to understand the trends in these markets, fine-tune your strategies, and grasp opportunities among the growing cohort of technology-driven markets.

Pave your Path to Success in Luxury Management. Why join this Program?

World-Class Speakers
The program features distinguished speakers from iconic companies and brands in Italy representing the fashion, furniture, and food industries, as well as from Europe and Asia. Participants can expect to gain valuable insights from their lectures and industry expertise.

Exponential Tech
Harness the power of exponential technologies such as Web 3.0, AI and beyond, to accelerate business growth.

Cross-border networking and insights
Network with like-minded unicorn founders and scaling entrepreneurs, grasp the latest trends and insights, and forge potential partnerships.

Accelerated Growth
Engage with leading investors from PE/VC funds, family offices, and government officials.

Global Unicorn Program in Luxury Management – Food, Fashion, and Furniture

The Global Unicorn Program’s mission is to play a critically important role in building a global ecosystem that fosters a new generation of unicorns with a renewed and enhanced emphasis on global responsibility, social purpose, and long-term perspective.

This joint program offered by CKGSB and SDA Bocconi also focuses on forming new partnerships among governments, international organizations, NGOs, civil society, and the private sector, to achieve entrepreneurial and economic resilience in Europe, RCEP, and beyond. It aims to unlock global unicorn potential, empowering VC, PE and Entrepreneurs to master growth from Startup to Scale-up in the FFF (Food, Fashion, and Furniture) and FS (Financial Services) Tech Sectors.

Is this Program Right for You?

Participants Profiles:

  • Founders, co-founders and C-level executives of unicorn companies, soon-to-be unicorns, and promising startups
  • Senior leaders from leading VC, PE firms, and other investing entities such as corporate venture arms and family offices
  • Top executives from leading organizations who are responsible for driving and embracing disruptions within their companies
  • Top management from NGOs, senior government officials and public sector representatives who are dedicated to enhancing local ecosystems for unicorns

Program Information

  • LanguageEnglish

Global Unicorn Program 2023 - Milan

Program Agenda

  • Day 1 – November 13 – Global Unicorn Forum

    9:00-9:15

    Opening Remarks and Keynote Speech: Start-up Ecosystems in Italy and Europe

    • Professor Stefano Caselli, Dean of SDA Bocconi

    9:15 – 9:30

    Keynote Speech: Driving Inclusive Growth in the Luxury Industry

    • Senior Executive from a Luxury Company

    9:30 – 10:15

    Panel Discussions 1: The Role of Technologies and Their Impact on Unicorn-making in Food, Fashion, Furniture, and Luxury Industries

    • Founders of successful scaleups or investors in 3F startup ecosystems from Asia and EMEA

    10:15 – 10:30

    Networking Break

    10:30 – 11:00

    Keynote Speech: Digital Branding

    11:00 – 11:45

    Panel Discussions 2: Investing in Impact – How Unicorns Can Make a Difference

    • Founders of socially responsible scaleups in 3F from Asia and EMEA

    11:45 – 12:00

    Closing Remark and Keynote Speech: Economic Disruption to Foster the Next Generation Unicorns

    • Professor XIANG Bing, Founding Dean and Professor of China Business and Globalization, Dean of CKGSB

    12:30 – 14:00

    Break

    14:00-15:00

    Program Orientation & Team Building Activities

    • Professor Teng Bingsheng, Program Director
    • Professor Gimede Gigante, Program Director

    15:00-18:00

    An Era of Tectonic Transformations, Pathways to “Common Prosperity” and the Role of Economic Disruptions & Unicorns

    • Professor XIANG Bing, Founding Dean and Professor of China Business and Globalization, CKGSB
  • Day 2 Program – November 14

    9:00–12:00

    The Life Cycle Approach in Creating Values in Luxury Industries (Cases from Private Equity Deals)

    • Professor Andrea Cerri, Innovation and Corporate Entrepreneurship, ICE SDA Bocconi

    Industry guest speaker from iconic Italian Excellence: Presentation, Speech, and Q&A

    12:00–13:00

    Break

    13:30–15:00

    Unicorn Case Studies: From Start-up to Unicorn and the Path to Success

    • Founders of unicorns/scale-ups from Europe and RCEP (Moderated by SDA Bocconi)

    15:00-17:30

    Field Study: Iconic Italian Brand (Milan HQ)

    19:30-21:00

    Networking Dinner

  • Day 3 Program – November 15

    9:00-12:00

    How to Scale up to be a Unicorn

    • Professor Gimande Gigante, Director of Innovation and Corporate Entrepreneurship (ICE), ICE SDA Bocconi

    Industry guest speaker from iconic Italian Excellence: Presentation, Speech and Q&A

    12:00-13:30

    Break

    13:30-15:00

    Unicorn Case Studies: Building a Successful Team, Product Portfolio and Channel Strategy

    • Founders of unicorns/scale-ups from Europe and RCEP (Moderated by CKGSB)

    15:30-17:30

    Field Study: A Design-orientated Luxury Furniture Brand (Milan HQ)

    19:00-21:00

    Farewell Dinner

  • Day 4 Program – November 16

    9:00-12:00

    Business Model Innovation for Exponential Growth in Food and Fashion Industries

    • Professor Teng Bingsheng, Associate Dean for Executive Education, CKGSB

    12:00-13:00

    Break

    13:00-15:00

    Unicorn Case Studies: How to Develop a Unicorn from a Small Domestic Market

    • Founders of unicorns/scale-ups from Europe and RCEP (Moderated by Expert)

    15:30-17:30

    Guest Speech from VC & PE World Investors Panel & Pitch Event


Program schedule is subject to change


Speakers and Program Directors
  • Founding Dean,
    Professor of China Business & Globalization,
    Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business

  • Stefano Caselli
    Dean,
    Professor of Banking & Finance
    SDA Bocconi School of Management
  • Associate Dean for Executive Education,
    Professor Strategic Management,
    Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business
  • Gimede Gigante
    Professor of Corporate Finance,
    Director of Innovation and Corporate Entrepreneurship (ICE),
    SDA Bocconi School of Management
  • Deans Distinguished Chair,
    Professor of Marketing,
    Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business
  • Andrea Cerri
    Professor of Innovation and Corporate Entrepreneurship,
    ICE SDA Bocconi
About the Organizers

Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business

Established in Beijing in November 2002, CKGSB is China’s first privately-funded and research-driven business school. The school aims to cultivate transformative business leaders with a global vision, social responsibility, innovative mindset, and the ability to lead with empathy and compassion.

SDA Bocconi School of Management

Established in 1971, SDA Bocconi School of Management is the best international business school in Italy. The footprint and spirit of its founders – according to whom every learning experience is a transformative journey – are alive today more than ever. SDA Bocconi’s programs and practice-oriented research aim to change and improve people and organizations. At the same time, its scientific research creates cutting-edge knowledge to help leaders face the toughest challenges in an increasingly global and changing market.

Join us on a journey to
become a unicorn!

Apply Now

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