Abu Dhabi’s rising marketing star

EMILY YAN turned crisis into an opportunity to prove her worth.

Emily Yan is a rising star in the luxury watch and jewelry sector in the Middle East.

It takes someone with sophistication and class to be successful in marketing million-dollar watches and jewelry to high rollers in the Middle East.  Today, Emily is senior brand manager of Al Manara International Jewellery, handling prestigious brands such as Chopard, Piaget, Officine Panerai and Richard Mille.

She worked for one of the biggest jewelry retailers in Dubai and recently made her move to Abu Dhabi, the booming capital of the United Arab Emirates. Her job takes her to Geneva, Basel and London, among many others places.

Emily, born and raised in Manila, graduated from De La Salle University with a degree in BSC Applied Economics in 1998 and initially worked for a securities firm in the Philippine Stock Exchange. It was when she moved to Rustan’s, the country’s big luxury retail chain, that she discovered that the luxury goods sector was her true calling.  She started her career in this sector as Rustan’s assistant brand manager and merchandise manager for luxury fashion, watches and jewelry brands.

“I enjoyed working for Rustan’s tremendously. This opportunity came with the help of my father—Brig. Gen. Manuel Yan Jr.—and I thank him for this change of career which changed the course of my life.”  To continuously improve herself, she took a Diamond Grading Lab from the Gemological Institute of America and plans to continue the course for another six months, in order to be a “Graduate of Diamonds.”

Moving overseas

Eventually, her work experience in Rustan’s became her stepping stone to her international career. She moved to Dubai in 2005, when her former manager asked her to join one of the leading jewelry retailers in the Middle East.  “I took it as a challenge and an adventure because at that time, Dubai was just starting to boom and was attracting the best talents around the world. During my first few years, I did not have the same comforts as my home country. In Manila, I had the support of my parents and the luxury of having drivers and household help. I often asked myself if it was all worth it. I could have easily gone back to live a relatively easy and happy-go-lucky life in the Philippines. But I was looking for growth and I knew I had it in me to find my place in the sun.”

“Living in a foreign land, I realized I was on my own. I did not have family and not a lot of friends I could turn to when things got rough. The few good friends I had in Dubai eventually moved on to other countries. Dubai is such a transient place. I had to learn how to fight my own battles.”

“I made a conscious decision to jumpstart my career—to infuse new life into it, so to speak. I volunteered to lead a new sales promotion project of the company even if I knew there were other candidates being considered by management. I assured them I could do it. The success of that project led to my promotion after three months as a senior brand manager.”

As a brand manager, Emily’s responsibility was to oversee the performance of the retail team.  She ensures that the retail team has all the right tools to sell and perform their best.  In the luxury watch and jewelry sector, this means setting sales, purchasing and marketing budgets, proper analysis of the demographics of the clients, negotiating with brand principals on the commercial terms, analyzing purchasing patterns, giving recommendations on where the brands should be retailed and what is the mix of brands or mix of merchandise in a particular store, and to propose incentive schemes for the retail team.

Travel and training

Travels to Europe are among the perks of her job.  She explains though that her buying trips are not purely leisure. “When I travel I have to select the merchandise to be sold in the stores. Sometimes one brand takes the whole day because of the variety of the watches and jewellery. You have to decide which ones will work in the UAE market so it is definitely a big responsibility.”

Also exciting are the training courses she attends—one in Japan for Mikimoto; another in Spain for Carrera Y Carrera, among others. She comes to understand the culture in the country a brand originated from.

The ME challenge

There are more than 200 nationalities living in Dubai—people with different cultures and peculiarities. Marketing to such a diverse clientele is therefore a challenge.  She shares, “As you become more acquainted with various cultures, your perspective changes and you become more at ease and understanding of the intricacies of human behavior. “

It is precisely understanding of human behavior and psychology that are essential in being successful at this role.

Crisis and opportunity

Dubai was struck by recession in 2008-2009 and during this time a lot of expats lost their jobs. Some of them were forced to leave behind their cars just to settle their debts.  Emily’s company was not spared from the effects of the recession. She was the only brand manager left with one assistant brand manager, doing the job of eight brand managers. Definitely a stressful time for her. Instead of looking at it as a problem, she looked at it as an opportunity to show her bosses what she could do. “I survived this difficult phase by focusing on the job… working like there was no tomorrow.”

After the Dubai recession, she accepted a new job in less developed Abu Dhabi, which was a big move. However, she felt that it was the right time to start over again. “There are many changes happening and the city is developing tremendously in terms of real estate, cultural offerings and retail scene. We have the Formula 1 every November which is a major event for the city, and many of our brands work closely with Formula 1 either as a sponsor or a partner for Formula 1 drivers. In 2015 the Louvre Abu Dhabi will also come into completion. All of these developments make this city the new land of opportunity.”

She shares the Filipino culture with her foreign colleagues by regularly hosting Filipino-themed lunches in their office. She recalls: “Together with my Filipino colleagues we decorated the meeting room with banderitas, I had karaoke and “its more fun in the Philippines” video playing, served sinigang na bangus, pansit miki bihon, fresh lumpia, adobo, fried rice and halo-halo decorated with colored mini umbrellas. They all had to try dancing tinikling and everyone had a wonderful time. They all realized that we have a great culture and some of them even want to visit the Philippines soon.” So what does she miss about the Philippines? “To eat at Jollibee!” she shrieks. (And just to show you how far will she will go for this craving, she once flew to Doha, Qatar just to eat the home-grown fastfood’s fried chicken and pancit palabok).

Her tips to other aspiring OFWs: Always be proud of who you are. Never let anyone put you down. But you have to be assertive, self-confident and hard working. Living overseas is not always about the money. The check is to always ask yourself if what you are doing helps you become a better and more positive person.