Meet the Graduates of Louis Vuitton’s HORIZONS Program: Retail Edition
Louis Vuitton is committed to developing the next generation of talents with HORIZONS, the Maison's global rotational talent development program.
Currently offered across Retail, Operations and Product, the 18-to-24-month programs are tailor-made to each participant’s areas of interest. Mentored by Louis Vuitton experts, graduates embark on a fast-track career path, rotating through different teams to gain a 360° understanding of their business area. The program concludes with an assignment involving a progressively higher level of managerial responsibility.
United in their ambition and shared drive to make a lasting impact, read on to meet some of the HORIZONS graduates as they reflect on their journeys with the Maison.
Jerin is a graduate on the HORIZONS Retail program, currently on a program rotation in London.
Thank you for joining us, Jerin. Can you tell us a bit about your career story so far?
My journey began in 2020 when I graduated with a degree in computer science and joined a multinational technology company in London, focusing on logistics operations. This role gave me the chance to work in various warehouses, which I thoroughly enjoyed. As I progressed, I was promoted to area manager.
It was in 2024 that I heard about the Louis Vuitton HORIZONS Program: what really stood out to me was the unique opportunity to rotate across various departments. The program’s 360-degree exposure was particularly appealing, offering the chance to explore both operational and client-facing roles.
Computer science. That's quite different from the Retail environment, what drew you to it?
Luxury retail was completely new for me, but I’ve always been curious about Louis Vuitton and the opportunities the Maison offers. Applying to HORIZONS didn’t feel like a risk—it felt like a chance to explore new fields. One of the most rewarding aspects of my experience so far has been learning how to provide an amazing experience for clients. This aspect of the role really stood out to me and I’m grateful for the opportunity to explore it.
What did you learn during that first 3-month Retail rotation in store?
My onboarding process in-store at London New Bond Street was exceptional. My mentors made sure that I connected with every team member and by the end of that first month, I had met everyone. During the second month, I focused on developing my skills in floor management, which built my confidence to engage with clients and provide great service. After that, I transitioned to the back of house, where I learnt about stock control. Back of house became my favorite area, coming from an operations background. I had the opportunity to work closely with the operations team at the UK, Ireland and South Africa head office and it was great to observe their interactions and reporting processes. I found it very intriguing and quickly felt like I could contribute.
How did you transition from the store floor to your second rotation, within an office environment?
During my time in-store I expressed a desire to learn more about Finance, an area I hadn’t worked in before. My managers were incredibly supportive—they pushed me to network within the company and regional head office, they even set up meetings with key finance leaders. They encouraged me to ask plenty of questions about each department and once I was certain that I wanted to explore Finance, I promptly shared my feedback with both my managers and the HR team. Thanks to their support and help, I was able to join the Finance team in London where I’ve been growing both my hard and soft skills. It’s been an exciting journey.
How has the HORIZONS Program shaped your view of Louis Vuitton’s culture?
In my first months, I realized that Louis Vuitton is very people-focused when it comes to supporting and developing talent. I was able to explore areas I was interested in, whether it was pursuing Finance or visiting stores to understand how operations work across different locations. Every time I was curious or wanted to learn something new, teams helped create the opportunity. I was told that the company was people-focused during the interview but experiencing it firsthand has been remarkable.
How do you think the HORIZONS Retail program has helped shape your career?
Looking ahead, I see myself gravitating towards back-of-house operations and logistics. For my next and final rotation, I am looking forward to returning to a London store, ideally in a back-of-house management role. It's a crucial function that I would like to contribute to. Given my background, I believe I can make a meaningful impact by improving processes while gaining deeper insights into store operations.
Are there any insights you have from your HORIZONS experience that you would share with candidates?
The best advice I received was to stay curious, ask questions and seek out the information I’m looking for. My managers here have always encouraged me to push myself, meet new people and explore different areas of the business. I’d give the same advice to anyone considering the program. It’s a unique opportunity to discover the business. Don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone and embrace the learning opportunities that come your way.
Laura is a graduate on the HORIZONS Retail program, currently on a program rotation in Munich.
It’s nice to meet you Laura. To start, could you tell us about what led you to join the HORIZONS Retail program?
Of course! I started the HORIZONS Retail program last September in Germany, following 6 years of experience working in Retail. I went to university for Business Administration with a work-study program that allowed me to continue gaining professional experience throughout.
So you had already started building a career in Retail prior to joining HORIZONS. What drew you to the sector?
I love working within a team and thrive in the fast-paced rhythm of the Retail environment. When you are driving business in your store, the decisions you make and implement with your teams have immediate commercial impact that you can observe and measure, sometimes even the same day.
What motivated you to apply to HORIZONS Retail, given that you were already starting to establish yourself in the field?
I felt it would be a professional challenge and wanted to broaden my horizons with a Maison that is internationally reputed to be best in class. The HORIZONS program description was amazing, I was really interested in the different rotations and the possibility to work abroad.
Where have your HORIZONS rotations taken you so far?
My first rotation was in the Frankfurt store, a very dynamic environment with an international clientèle. It was the best place I could have started really, I learnt so much from the skillful Team Managers and Store Director there. The first few months were intense, especially given the timing leading up to the peak business period with the festive season. I definitely developed my agility, learnt by doing and always felt the teams were there to support me when I needed help.
Following your first Retail experience in Frankfurt, which Métier did you discover next?
Actually, I asked the HR team if it would be possible to continue my exploration of Retail with a second store rotation. It’s not the usual HORIZONS path, but I wanted to deepen my understanding of the store network and see how the Retail business operated internationally. The HR teams are advanced with the HORIZONS program: they listen to the Graduate’s interests and have the skill to match the profile with the right environment where the person will grow. A couple of weeks after that conversation, I was packing my bags to join the Helsinki store!
Amazing, things move quickly at Louis Vuitton. What was it like joining Retail teams in Helsinki?
I didn’t know a great deal about the Finnish capital prior, but I discovered an international destination with a buzzing store. There is a strong local clientèle, which made it a great place to develop my clienteling skills. There are also a lot of travelling clients from overseas as it is on the shortest flight route from Asia to Europe. I worked with the store’s Les Extraordinaires ambassador and was really proud to help implement a project where we put together a toolkit that shared best practices between Frankfurt and Helsinki teams.
That must have been very rewarding, to help connect teams and contribute to best practices using knowledge from your HORIZONS experience to date.
It really was. The toolkit project has been implemented for 6 months now and we can already see the commercial impact of the training on the store’s KPIs.
Today, you are joining us from an office environment: where is your latest rotation?
I joined the Germany regional head office teams in early September, where I will firstly be spending a month with the Merchandising teams before discovering the Retail Performance Management teams in October. After that, we will see – the HR teams can adapt the program to your strengths very quickly. The teams involved in supporting HORIZONS graduates work together and communicate openly.
During the recent HORIZONS onboarding week in Paris, you met other graduates participating in Retail, Operations and Product programs across Europe. What did you enjoy most about the experience?
It was so great to learn from everyone and it enriched my view of the business even more. We connected over the week and found out about each other’s rotations, compared similarities and differences in the way certain processes worked depending on different countries. We created a network of aspiring future product managers, store directors, operations managers, designers. It’s thrilling to think that I could someday be working alongside one of the graduates I met during this week, that would make for a nice shared memory.
Based on your HORIZONS experience so far, what would you say to anyone thinking of applying?
If you like challenging yourself, want to develop your commercial and professional mindset to a new level, it’s the way to go. I see HORIZONS Retail a little bit like training for a marathon: of course we are all working towards a Team Manager position afterwards, but it’s actually about enjoying the journey. You will encounter new opportunities and will find yourself out of your comfort zone, but no matter where your rotations take you, you will always be supported by the Maison’s teams. Be open to the new countries, new categories and new challenges to learn the most from the 360° business exposure you will experience.