Nom

MERK

Prénom

Michaela

Michaela has a 20-year professional career behind her, during which she has always bridged the worlds of business and education. She has held executive positions in international companies (Marketing Director at L'Oréal, Director of National and Private Brands at Marionnaud, Sales Director and General Manager at Estée Lauder Companies) before advising and training executives from all industry sectors through her own company, Merk Vision.

At the same time, she has always taught at business schools and international universities in Europe and Asia (Audencia, ESSEC Business School, North China Normal University, Beida University, Tsinghua, IESEG, SKEMA, Sciences Po Paris, University of St. Gallen, etc.), in the fields of marketing, leadership, management, retail, and luxury to master’s, MBA, and Executive program students. Her international background, perfectly trilingual in English, French and German, she has been teaching for Audencia in Executive programs both in Asia (Chengdu, Shanghai) and Africa (Senegal). In addition, she has also developed and managed master’s and executive programs in marketing, leadership, and management for the luxury sector. 

Based on her strong expertise in luxury, she has developed, in partnership with experts, alumni, and professors from Audencia, the MSc in Sustainable Luxury Management, which she has led since 2024. From its very first year, many companies have supported the program, including L'Oréal, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Breitling, Sephora, and many others. To reinforce the MSc’s commitment to sustainable development, Michaela has established a partnership between the Jane Goodall Institute and the MSc in Sustainable Luxury Management. 

Passionate about public speaking, she has obtained the highest international speaker accreditations: the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) awarded by the National Speakers Association of the United States (NSA) and the Global Speaking Fellow (GSF) awarded by the Global Speaking Federation. She is the only professional speaker in France to hold both accreditations. Her speaking talents in English, French, and German have enabled her not only to inspire employees of hundreds of companies across all continents in over 30 countries, but also students, thanks to her dynamic and engaging teaching style. Among other achievements, she established a public speaking competition for apprentices, allowing students at Audencia to demonstrate eloquence from their very first year. In addition, she is jury member of prominent public speaking contests, for instance the competition for sustainable peace, organized by Jane Goodall Institut and Change Now Fair. 

Michaela holds a doctorate in marketing, which she earned in 2012 at IAE Paris, and is the author of numerous professional and academic articles. Her book, Luxury Sales Force Management: Strategies for Winning Over Your Brand Ambassadors, has become an important resource for executives in the luxury and premium industries. Her next book, to be published at the end of August by Dunod, is entitled The Power of Relational Intelligence: 30 Golden Rules for Winning Leadership and High-Performing Teams. She also regularly publishes in renowned professional journals such as Forbes, the Financial Times, and Capital, and is preparing academic research articles on sustainable luxury in collaboration with other researchers.

Finally, she is board member of academic associations and companies, such as Champagne Lanson BCC, the biggest family owned champagne group comprising 8 champagne houses.