Friends of LEF

Since 2016, the Annual Alumni Networking Event has successfully grown bringing together LEF Alumni, Advisory Board Members, and Industry Executives for an evening of thought-provoking industry topic panels and networking.

Panel discussions have included looking at disruptive startups in men’s luxury leather footwear, the relationship of Amazon and luxury, how the new generation of luxury leaders are charting their own course, and most recently the bridge of awareness to sales.

The Luxury Round Table is an annual panel discussion in which three to four industry leaders share their views on current trends and challenges facing the industry with an enthusiastic group of business and design students, alumni, and friends of LEF. The event targets an audience of 80-100 and is designed to inspire the future business and creative leaders in luxury.

Past Luxury Round Table topics have included Luxury, Culture, and Entertainment: Reflecting the Times?; Luxury & Diversity Inclusion; Luxury in 2020 and Beyond: Surviving or Succeeding?; and Blockchain and Luxury.

The Student Final Presentations mark the culmination of The Luxury Approach Master Class, where the students work together to solve timely case studies created exclusively for this class by the participating companies and interact with senior executives of these world-renowned firms who guide them throughout the project. At this unique gathering of students, alumni, and luxury executives, the student teams will unveil their own innovative solutions to the projects submitted by participating companies.

Additionally, the LEF PhD Scholarship Awards are presented at this event. Launched in 2009, the LEF PhD Scholarship Awards provides annual scholarships to PhD students at Columbia Business School. The scholarships are awarded to students who exhibit an extraordinary level of leadership and innovation in their work, and whose accomplishments are a testament to their commitment and talent in their fields.

This 60-minute exchange allows attendees to connect with current luxury leaders and receive insights from some of the most respected individuals in luxury.