A Brazilian in Paris: Rising Up in the Luxury Industry

Based in Paris, as the Global Director of Sales - Luxury, she oversees high-end leisure business in Europe for Hyatt properties worldwide. 

Graduated in 2003 with both her BA and MA from SHMS, Patricia started her career with a Management Traineeship at Park Hyatt in Chicago, United States. Early on, she knew that it was Sales that interested her the most. With the support of the General Manager of the Hotel, she transferred departments and began her decade-long professional journey working her way up the corporate ladder. Today, she works with Hyatt Hotels across the world connecting them with exclusive luxury business clientele.

We met with Patricia over coffee at the Suisse Majestic in Montreux and discussed the importance of a fulfilling career that leaves room for you to remain true to yourself. Determined, hardworking and generous with advice, Patricia’s interview is below.

The meaning of success is something that is constantly changing for me. Today it means having a job that I love without having to compromise my values in order to get here.

To me, luxury is:

1. Being healthy
2. Having time
3. Being able to earn a living doing what you love
4. A Michelin starred meal
5. A pair of great shoes

The best advice I received as a new intern was, if you don’t know what to do – just clean something!

My advice for future graduates just starting out is to work hard and accept to do everything that is asked from you because if you are being asked to do it, it is because it is important! Everything plays a part, and if you play yours you will eventually move up. So do your duties with a smile and try not to break anything!

My second piece of advice is the world is a lot smaller than we think it is…so behave.

The most important skills to have when working in the luxury industry are:

1. Humility – the market is luxurious, not you
2. The knack to ultra-personalize to meet the needs of your client
3. Strong relationship management skills

As a Brazilian working internationally, navigating visa and immigration issues is something that I always need to consider when managing my life. In my professional journey, I have remained loyal to one company therefore my professional moves have always been sponsored.

My advice to other non-Europeans looking to build their career in Europe is to always consider the long-term, be realistic and look at international companies that have established themselves therefore giving them more leverage to support international talent. 

The most important skill I learned while studying at SHMS was adaptability and cultural awareness. Its funny because I don’t think I realized the importance of it at the time, but I clearly see now how my experiences studying in a culturally diverse environment have truly shaped me into the person I am today. Because of the diversity, SHMS graduates are well prepared to adapt to lots of different situations and environments and work across cultures.