Every member of the inaugural intake for our Executive Master’s in Luxury Management and Guest Experience brings their own personal story to the program. Michelle Tang is certainly no different – we met her to discover more about her ambitions to make the path to parenthood a genuine luxury experience…
Speak to any parent and they will tell you that a child is the most precious thing on Earth. Perhaps that makes parenthood the ultimate luxury; but for the estimated 15% of couples who run into fertility problems it’s a luxury that’s unobtainable without recourse to fertility or surrogacy solutions.
The world’s wealthiest individuals are not immune from these same fertility challenges, but until recently they lacked a fertility and surrogacy provider with the luxury touches and exemplary service suited to such high-end clientele.
This is exactly the space that Beverly Hills based IMA ART Fertility had chosen to occupy. From its iconic Californian location, beautifully designed website and exclusive positioning, it’s clear this is a brand that exudes luxury.
Now the company’s CEO, Michelle Tang, is aiming to fashion a luxury concierge experience to match the brand promise – and this is why she has signed up to the inaugural intake of the Executive Master’s in Luxury management and Guest Experience.
“We already project a high-end image; now with this Master’s I want to make sure that we will over-deliver on our clients’ expectations, so they will cherish their experience and act as our brand ambassadors when moving within their own social circles,” she explains.
“Our business originally started in Hong Kong, but it’s no accident that we’ve now chosen to set up in Beverly Hills. In this area we have an amazing choice of five-star hotels, Michelin-starred restaurants, exclusive spas and all the trappings of pure luxury. Our clients may only spend around two weeks here with us, but we want to make that experience as easy and enjoyable as possible, so they are in the perfect frame of mind to undergo their fertility treatment.”
“It’s no accident that we’ve now chosen to set up in Beverly Hills. In this area we have an amazing choice of five-star hotels, Michelin-starred restaurants, exclusive spas and all the trappings of pure luxury. Our clients may only spend around two weeks here with us, but we want to make that experience as easy and enjoyable as possible, so they are in the perfect frame of mind to undergo their fertility treatment.”
Michelle Tang
Building a reputation
Since rebranding and relaunching in Beverly Hills in May this year, IMA ART has made significant strides in establishing a reputation in this more rarified marketplace; not least but establishing a working relationship with Dr. Thaïs Aliabadi, one of the world’s leading obstetrician gynecologists.
“We’ve also connected with lawyers and insurance advisers who have been in this field for 20 years and they’ve all told us that nobody is serving this high net worth and ultra-high net worth population in the way that we are. And all this is before we tell them about the Glion luxury connection!” she adds.
For Michelle, taking on the role as CEO of the business marks a significant career change, but one that she feels a personal imperative to take on. This is because she and husband Ron endured their own fertility challenges after getting married.
“Suddenly we found ourselves in this demographic problem area, and that made me determined to help others with the same challenges as us.”
An eye for governance
One area that Michelle is also determined to bring her own professional experience to is fertility governance. After more than a decade in consultancy, banking, insurance, and investment she brings first-hand governance experience from those highly regulated sectors into a field where regulatory oversight is today somewhat lacking.
“Incredibly, there is no comprehensive governance framework for surrogacy; it relies on the agencies involved to self-govern. I believe this needs to change and I hope that by building strong fertility governance into our business we will ultimately influence others to raise standards, so that the interests of the parents and surrogates are well protected.”
For now, though, Michelle’s thoughts are turning to Glion and the imminent start of her Executive Master’s. As a company CEO with a very hands-on role, she’s grateful for the flexibility offered by the program.
“I’ll study my Master’s in the spaces between serving our clients, plus I’m also looking forward to attending the residential weeks in Switzerland and London!”
“We are an international business and operating in the luxury sphere is anything but a 9-to-5 job. We have to make ourselves available to our clients when they want us to be available – it’s another element that sets us apart from other agencies operating in this space. I’ll study my Master’s in the spaces between serving our clients, plus I’m also looking forward to attending the residential weeks in Switzerland and London!”
From its already solid foundations, and with added luxury nous to come from our expert faculty, the future looks bright for IMA ART. But that doesn’t mean there are ambitions to become the biggest player in the field.
“Our goal is to be recognized as the pre-eminent luxury fertility and surrogacy concierge provider in the world. We want to be the best, not the biggest – to be a brand that lasts and helps families create future generations.”
- To discover more about IMA ART Fertility, visit the website
Immerse yourself in luxury
Our new Executive Master’s is purpose-designed for professionals with at least five years of professional experience on their CV – offering flexible study that means there’s no need to give up your current role.
