Join us for our Luxury Talent & Leadership Panel Discussion, joining senior talent and HR leaders from Gucci, Kering, and Richemont.
Moderated by your fellow MPS Fashion Management students Izzy Kimberly, Steve Cheung, and Livee DeVita, the discussion will explore the themes shaping luxury careers today, from strategic talent management and future-proofing in an era of AI and sustainability, to navigating non-linear career paths and building long-term professional longevity in the industry.
Mary J. Chery is a seasoned human resources executive and talent strategist with extensive leadership experience across the luxury fashion, beauty, and consumer goods industries. She currently serves as Human Resources Director for Fashion & Accessories at Richemont, supporting renowned brands including Montblanc, Chloé, Alaïa, Dunhill, Delvaux, and Serapian. Her expertise spans talent development, employee relations, organizational strategy, leadership coaching, and performance management.
Prior to joining Richemont, Mary held senior HR leadership roles at Essence, Spark44, and Pernod Ricard Americas. She earned both her Master’s degree in Human Resource Management and Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Stony Brook University. Known for her collaborative leadership style and strategic approach to human capital development, Mary is passionate about building high-performing teams and fostering inclusive workplace cultures.
Vannessa Bullen is the Vice President of Human Resources for the Americas at Kering, where she leads the regional HR strategy across a diverse portfolio of luxury Houses. She has held this role since 2019, partnering closely with business leaders to drive organizational effectiveness, talent development, and people centered growth.
Prior to joining Kering, Vannessa served as Global Vice President of Human Resources at Alexander Wang, where led the brand’s global HR strategy with a focus on founder transition, reshaped governance, new leadership bench, and enabling external capital engagement. She also spent a decade at The Children’s Place, where she progressed through senior HR leadership roles across Talent and Development, Business Transformation and Change Management, Compensation and Benefits, Technology, and HR Operations. Earlier in her career, she held HR
leadership positions at Gucci Group, building a strong foundation in human resources within the luxury sector.
Vannessa brings deep expertise across human resources service delivery, organizational, technology, and culture transformation and is recognized for her strategic approach to complex change agendas, people management and
operational excellence. She holds a degree in Film & Television from New York
University, bringing a unique perspective to leadership, storytelling, and
organizational culture.
Lucinda Rosso, EVP & Chief People Officer of Gucci Americas, is a seasoned HR executive with extensive leadership experience in the luxury fashion industry. During her 25 years at Armani Group, where she last held the role of SVP Organizational Development & Human Resources, she gained significant expertise in luxury retail operations and developed advanced HR business partner acumen, leaving behind a strong ecosystem of human capital management, talent strategy and organizational development. Since joining Gucci America in 2017 to lead its HR team, transform the HR functional model and implement organizational strategies which fuel commercial success, she has also served on the company’s global equity board and continues to focus on advancing people-centric initiatives that build a culture of collaboration, inclusion, innovation and professional development.
In addition to her professional identity, Lucinda is a mother, wife and disability advocate. She currently serves in a voluntary leadership role for Peace of Heart Choir, an NGO organization that formed shortly after 9/11 to serve marginalized New Yorkers by promoting healing, diversity, community bonding, and mutual understanding through music.
Committed to amplifying diverse voices, The New School offers more than a thousand public programs and events each year, providing fresh perspectives and unique learning opportunities. These lectures, exhibitions, concerts, and performances feature prominent and emerging artists, activists, and thought leaders. Be sure to visit our Events Calendar to see the full roster.
Â
To receive updates about public programs and events at The New School, subscribe to our mailing list. Visit our Livestream and YouTube channels to watch select events live and recorded.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vestibulum sagittis mi eu elementum malesuada. Maecenas arcu felis, suscipit vitae mi in, posuere ultricies nunc. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut ante velit, condimentum eget erat a, suscipit porttitor nisl. Pellentesque in semper nunc. Duis ultricies lacus nec dolor elementum efficitur. Cras congue neque et ipsum egestas, tincidunt tempor magna elementum. Maecenas in rhoncus ante, ac mattis lectus. Donec pulvinar nulla a varius malesuada. Ut auctor enim mi, mollis laoreet eros aliquam eget. Proin lectus tellus, ullamcorper nec neque a, ornare facilisis tellus. Proin in eros sit amet diam imperdiet varius. Duis tincidunt dolor nibh, ac interdum odio molestie vel. Cras dignissim enim at mi varius aliquet.