The labor market is undergoing unprecedented change at an unrelenting pace. As a result, employers need to constantly assess their employer brand to ensure that the values they’re presenting align with relevant expectations of top tier talent.
Every organization’s employer brand will manifest differently depending on the values and beliefs that guide that work. At Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH), the notion that people make the difference is the bedrock of our organization and individual Maisons. We work to ensure that this belief shines through in our culture and values, ensuring our talent feels supported and engaged by the meaningful resources, initiatives and programs that bring our employer brand to life. And while the labor market will never be static when it comes to change and evolution, there are four foundational components that ladder up to a strong employer brand that can withstand ongoing transformation.
A Winning Recruitment and Retention Strategy
Recruitment and retention are paramount when it comes to setting your organization’s employer brand apart from competitors. It’s no longer enough to share job postings on job boards like Indeed or LinkedIn. By looking beyond traditional recruitment methods, organizations can establish a more diverse employee network—a growing desire for employees and job seekers alike.
At LVMH, we recognize the important role recruitment and retention play in attracting and retaining the most talented people. By being intentional about how we roll these efforts out, we can support our sustained goal of crafting the future with our current and prospective employees and driving our culture of excellence. We believe that people make the difference, so our talent strategy was developed to mirror that belief. This shines through our work with universities and colleges to engage a diverse group of emerging professionals, as well as through our Métiers d’Excellence program, which encompasses over 280 creative, craft and client experience roles (or “métiers”), each known for a unique savoir-faire that is vital to the success of the Group and our Maisons. At LVMH, 80,000 professionals around the world practice Métiers d’Excellence—professions that allow us to control every link of our value chain, from the sourcing of raw materials to the production and the selective retailing of our products, while guaranteeing the high quality and excellence of our products and services.
LVMH is also intentional about building out its robust pool of talent so that it represents all corners of the world. In doubling down on DEI, organizations can build an inclusive environment that empowers employees to show up as their authentic selves which is good for business and an essential component of a successful engagement and retention model.
Strengthening Talent through Professional Development
Talent is seeking increased access to professional development resources, learning programs and mentorship and coaching. Professional development acts as a pillar of any employer’s brand because it is your tangible commitment to support the continued growth and advancement of your employees.
We help our employees prepare for their future career path through a range of learnings and initiatives aimed at developing skills, experience and expertise. This takes place through on-the-job experience, stretch assignments, formal learning through LVMH House, mentorship and coaching, to name a few. A unique component of our employee experience includes our commitment to talent development through LVMH House, our Learning & Leadership Development center. Building deeper and broader connections across the LVMH portfolio of Maisons and developing a more profound sense of community are core to the LVMH House experience.
We also believe that talent must learn to own, lead and craft their own career and professional development, based on their passions, skillsets and aspirations. Via INSIDE LVMH, we support broader learning through a digital platform that gives students and graduates an opportunity to immerse themselves in our ecosystem and be inspired by our leaders. Another key initiative in the retail domain is THINK Retail, a new coaching-led leadership development program for our high-performing store directors in our largest, most iconic stores across all our Maisons. It’s a deeply introspective leadership journey focused on purpose, values, strengths and inspiration.
Mobility to Create Career Tracks
Internal mobility has become table stakes for organizations looking to remain competitive in a labor market vying for the same talent. Rooting your organization’s employer brand in its mobility strategy is a clear way of differentiating your company from other employers and keeps you top of mind among prospective and current talent. A strong mobility strategy has been linked to higher rates of retention, making it a fundamental performance indicator by which organizations can assess themselves.
As an employer of choice, we ground our resources, programs and mobility strategy in the understanding that the virtue of being part of the LVMH ecosystem is a one-of-a-kind aspect of our employer brand, making us highly competitive in a saturated labor market. When you continuously build upon meaningful experiences for all, across functions, brands and regions, leveraging what makes you unique as an employer, you are able to instill a long-term mindset of ongoing improvement and collaboration that only benefits your talents and organization. Our employees are able to grow within our organization, business sectors and geographies, thus exploring all aspects of our business and becoming active participants in our Group’s long-term mission and goals.
Succession Planning to Kickstart the Future
Savvy organizations and HR leaders recognize that succession planning is no longer a nice-to-have component of their employer brand, but a must-have. A thoughtful and intentional succession plan can be the make or break when it comes to such transitions, and that is especially true for senior-level positions. Succession planning is critical to strategic talent management and driving business success for the future – knowing your talent, identifying and assessing top talent, supporting growth and development and ultimately navigating leadership career journeys. An intentional, thoughtful and proactive approach to succession planning helps ensure the right leaders are ready and in the right roles to fuel the future.
As employers continue to navigate a new talent ecosystem, a clear employer brand that is rooted in addressing the expectations and potential of your employees is an imperative distinction. Through thoughtful analysis and work, your brand can be molded to help meet your company’s goals and employee needs in parallel. These four steps will not only help employees exceed their professional potential, but you will have a consistent employer brand that stands the test of time in an ever-changing market.
Authors

Gena Smith
Gena Smith is the Chief Human Resource Officer for LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton in North America. A highly experienced human resources executive, Gena ensures that LVMH is best in class at selecting, developing, and retaining senior executive and creative talent. During her tenure with LVMH she has helped to further develop talent at all levels of the organization, including through attracting accomplished senior-level executives, instituting learning and development programs to prepare executives to meet business needs, and promoting mobility for high performing executives across the LVMH brands. She led the first ever Diversity & Inclusion initiative for LVMH launching it across North America in 2012.
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