Regent’s University London Walpole Professorships

Regent’s University London

DEVELOPING TOMORROW’S GLOBAL LEADERS

Regent’s is the UK’s most cosmopolitan university with more than 80% of its students drawn from 140 countries around the world. Its global alumni network comprises founders and entrepreneurs, chief executives of luxury brands, social media influencers, royalty, actors, fashion designers, politicians, business executives and board members of international family firms.

As a member of Walpole, Regent’s shares a common interest in strengthening the luxury sector’s talent pipeline and, in 2021, introduced its latest collaboration: The Walpole Professorships.

Regent’s Walpole Professorships

With a belief that the luxury leaders of today can inspire the leaders of tomorrow, Regent’s University London has developed an innovative new partnership with Walpole that both honours and connects influential senior figures from some of the world’s best-known luxury brands – starting this year with Harrods, McLaren Automotive, The Peninsula London and dunhill – directly with students.

THE 2021 VISITING PROFESSORS In addition to Michael Ward, the following senior leaders have been appointed as inaugural Walpole Professors:

SONJA VODUSEK

MANAGING DIRECTOR, THE PENINSULA LONDON “As The Peninsula Hotels enters London’s remarkable hotel landscape, we’re very excited to share our perspective on luxury hospitality with students from Regent’s University London. The Visiting Professorship role is an honour, as well as an exciting opportunity for us to inspire our future hospitality leaders through first-hand experience. We will invite them behind the scenes at The Peninsula London, sharing the innovation, passion, creative thinking and even challenges required to open and set a new standard of luxury in a city. It will also be a wonderful opportunity to learn valuable insight from the students, and to nurture the next generation of hoteliers.”

MIKE FLEWITT

CEO OF McLAREN AUTOMOTIVE “Inspired by our founder Bruce McLaren’s arrival in England and his vision for creating truly engaging cutting-edge supercars, McLaren is now the epitome of modern handbuilt luxury and technological excellence around the world. The Walpole Professorship is a unique chance to share McLaren Automotive’s journey as a luxury supercar maker only a decade into our story with an audience of future luxury leaders. It is also a great opportunity to hear from Regent’s University London students and to understand their valuable perspectives on the evolving luxury landscape.”

ANDREW MAAG

CEO OF dunhill “I am delighted to be part of The Walpole Professorships programme, in partnership with Regent’s University London. Our founder Alfred Dunhill was a visionary and innovator – dynamic in his approach to retail, business and the needs of people. In this spirit, I am excited to speak to the next generation of global leaders and executives to share how we continue to shape the legacy of the House today, and offer a unique viewpoint as the leading British luxury menswear brand.”

Harrods Case Study

Michael Ward, Harrods Managing Director and Chairman of Walpole, is one of the founding members of The Walpole Professorships scheme. He regularly invites Regent’s students on behind-the-scenes tours of Harrods, provides exclusive guest lectures on campus and, above all, shares his unique insight into the world-famous store.

As part of the relationship, Regent’s Fashion Marketing students Shrimithraa (Shri) Dhandhapaani and Hsieh-Tse (Jeff) Hsiao completed a two-month internship at Harrods’ Knightsbridge store. Shri worked with Harrods By Appointment team, which offers an unrivalled service that makes personal shopping an effortless pursuit. She said: “[The internship] was an eye opener to the fastpaced environment of luxury fashion retail and I’ve learned the importance of building relationships with clients. My experience at Harrods is the highlight of my time at Regent’s”.

Jeff completed an internship with Harrods Digital Marketing and Social Media Content team and found his new calling from the experience. He said: “As a Mandarin speaker, I was able to use this skill to work on content for Harrods Chinese customer base. This is definitely something I would like to explore further in the future!”.

“The future of British luxury is being shaped by the next generation; a generation that is entirely global in its mindset and shaped by our digitally interconnected world.

For Harrods, the partnership with Regent’s University London provides their international students with real-world experience of a fast-paced environment, while allowing us to learn from this next generation of leaders from around the world.”

MICHAEL WARD CHAIRMAN OF WALPOLE & MANAGING DIRECTOR OF HARRODS