Dr. Fabio Duma

Inspiring speaker on luxury, communication of value and the power of craft & the human touch

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About

Gender: Male

Nationality:

Languages: English, German, Italian

Travels from: Switzerland

Engagement Types

Themes

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Biography Highlights

Biography

Dr. Fabio Duma is an inspirational speaker and an esteemed sparring partner to executives and (artisan) entrepreneurs in the luxury and high-end sector and applies his rich insight to sectors and organizations in various fields beyond the cultural and creative industries.

In his speeches, workshops and advisory roles he is known for bridging relevant theoretical and practical insight and for drawing from a rich interdisciplinary foundation of knowledge, including management & business research, sociology, philosophy, psychology, anthropology or even archeology. He specializes in the role of an eye-opener, idea-giver, and critical sparring partner to value- and purpose-driven organizations that strive for excellence and true differentiation with regards to the customer and employee experience they deliver.

Fabio has a background in strategy, marketing, services and communication management and a PhD in management with a focus on sales, customer experience and personal interaction in a high-end context. He has gained practical experience and management exposure in different functional areas and industries, including higher education, banking, manufacturing, construction, and consulting.

Fabio is a keen observer of major societal trends and changing (consumer) behavior, a critical thinker, a dreamer and a passionate doer. As a scholar and entrepreneur he combines analytical thinking and foresight with hands-on practical experience and creativity. He has published numerous articles, books and book chapters and is a frequent lecturer at universities and speaker at conferences around the world, including Paris, London, Zurich, Milano, Firenze, Monte Carlo, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Moscow, Los Angeles or London.

Fabio Duma serves as a board member and advisor in various organizations and has successfully (co-)founded companies in different sectors.

His current topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

Market- & Consumer-oriented:

Creating Dreams & Escapes: Understanding the future of luxury by understanding the essence of human flourishing and well-being.
Making Memories: The design and management of meaningful and transformative customer experiences (based on insights gained in the cultural and creative industries).
Communicating Excellence: Strategies for the effective communication of (superior) product & brand value (inspired by the greatest heritage luxury brands and successful niche players).
The Magic of Human in a Tech-Driven World: Re-humanizing customer experience & the differentiating power and value-enhancing effects of human effort, intention and personal interaction in a context of increasingly digitalized and automated consumer environments.
Will Craftsmanship Save the World? The role and transformative potential of artisanal labor and thinking in contemporary business and consumption.

Employee- & management-oriented:

Corporate Craftsman or “Craftsy” Corporation? Conditions that enable and prevent creative & craft work in a corporate context.
The Hidden Potential of Getting Your Hands Dirty: how the underlying values of craftsmanship & working with your hands lead to a better understanding of the world, your people, your customers and what really matters.
When Small (and Slow) is Beautiful: (Niche) strategies and lessons of success from independent (and almost unknown) purveyors of excellence and artisan entrepreneurs.

Topics

Current talk topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

Market- & Consumer-oriented talk topics:

– Creating Dreams & Escapes: Understanding the future of luxury by understanding the essence of human flourishing and well-being.
– Making Memories: The design and management of meaningful and transformative customer experiences (based on insights gained in the cultural and creative industries).
– Communicating Excellence: Strategies for the effective communication of (superior) product & brand value (inspired by the greatest heritage luxury brands and successful niche players).
– The Magic of Human in a Tech-Driven World: Re-humanizing customer experience & the differentiating power and value-enhancing effects of human effort, intention and personal interaction in a context of increasingly digitalized and automated consumer environments.
– Will Craftsmanship Save the World? The role and transformative potential of artisanal labor and thinking in contemporary business and consumption.

Employee- & Management-oriented talk topics:

– Corporate Craftsman or “Craftsy” Corporation? Conditions that enable and prevent creative & craft work in a corporate context.
– The Hidden Potential of Getting Your Hands Dirty: how the underlying values of craftsmanship & working with your hands lead to a better understanding of the world, your people, your customers and what really matters.
– When Small (and Slow) is Beautiful: (Niche) strategies and lessons of success from independent (and almost unknown) purveyors of excellence and artisan entrepreneurs.

Available: Virtually

Books

The Business of Luxury

Luxury has been fascinating humanity for millennia and it seems that it will continue to do so in the future. As we can see in developed countries with populations living in relative affluence, luxury takes different forms, becoming less materialistic when people already own a house, two cars and a boat, but now crave wellness treatments and more recreational time. However, luxury will always have a material aspect as embodied by beautiful products made from exclusive materials by skilled artisans with an eye for detail. One way or another, luxury is big business and an important economic factor all over the world, especially in Switzerland, a country with few natural resources to speak of but a wealth of knowledge when it comes to services (e.g. hotel management) and the manufacture of exclusive products such as watches, textiles, and of course chocolate – to name just a few. Indeed, a significant proportion of Swiss GDP comes from the production of luxury goods which are exported all over the world. In this publication we examine the phenomenon of luxury, its roots, and its economic impact both globally and in Switzerland. You will learn more about global luxury markets, well-known and niche market players, as well as major trends shaping the definition of luxury and the management and marketing of luxury brands in the future.

The Rise of Positive Luxury

Offering a holistic approach to positive luxury, this comprehensive book provides a novel framework grounded in the new paradigm of Transformative Luxury Research (TLR) stream. TLR helps luxury businesses and researchers develop in-depth knowledge about the mechanisms and factors that shape the future of positive luxury thinking and doing while promoting collective and individual well-being outcomes, social justice, eco-friendly practices, and sustainable growth, involving various stakeholders, communities, and institutions across developed and developing countries. Through a wide range of empirical, methodological, and theoretical contributions, examining the social, environmental, organizational, political, and cultural issues in responsible luxury marketing, this book explores the relationship between luxury consumption, production, and well-being outcomes. It offers a comprehensive overview of how luxury businesses can transform their practices and thus play an active role in promoting positive luxury within the industry and beyond along with enhancing their competitiveness, innovation, and profitability. The idea of well-being outcomes and sustainable growth, as applied in the TLR agenda, calls for synergistic theoretical and practical approaches. The content of this book, through different exciting chapters, will generate novel ideas to promote positive luxury business models leading luxury firms to transform their practices by advancing the current understanding of ethical and responsible business practices, which contribute to individual and collective well-being within the luxury field.

Made in Italy & the Luxury Market

Made in Italy holds a highly significant position in the global luxury market, as an economic, cultural, and social phenomenon, and the textbook example of the country-of-origin effect. Whilst in the past luxury was conceptualized as an exclusive benefit of the few, it is now a highly diversified ecosystem with disruptive challenges to its identity and authenticity, led by new customer segments. This book – through an analysis of diverse cases – answers the key issues in the industry of the new Made in Italy luxury, with a particular focus on sustainability. The book provides an in-depth view into luxury Made in Italy, from historical roots, heritage, and tradition to major forces of change and innovative, entrepreneurial adaptations in the 21st century. It situates Made in Italy in the broader global context of change, with regards to the call for sustainable manufacturing and consumption. Written by an international pool of academics and experts in luxury brand management, the book presents a series of case studies to explore how the industry is responding to new consumer expectations and demand to maintain competitive advantage. This unique collection will be of interest for academics, scholars, and upper-level students across the fields of luxury management and marketing, brand management, consumer behavior as well as sustainability.

Digitalisierung in der Praxis

Die Digitalisierung ist einer der Megatrends unserer Zeit. Sie verspricht große Potentiale und Chancen, birgt aber auch Risiken für diejenigen, die nicht rechtzeitig agieren oder reagieren. Das Herausgeberwerk stellt erfolgreiche und innovative Digitalisierungsprojekte in verschiedenen Branchen vor. Leser erhalten somit einen umfassenden Einblick in die Praxis der Digitalisierung bei unterschiedlichen KMU (kleine und mittlere Unternehmen) im deutschsprachigen Raum. Zudem arbeiten die Autoren wichtige Erfolgsfaktoren für digitale Geschäftsmodellinnovation heraus. Die vorgestellten Fallstudien können somit als Beispiele für andere Unternehmen dienen, um die Digitalisierung als Wettbewerbsfaktor zu nutzen und neue Geschäftsmodelle, Produkte und Services zu entwickeln. Ein Buch für alle, die die digitale Transformation in der Praxis gestalten wollen.