Gabrielle Chen ’14 is senior director of marketing, communications, e-commerce, and brand strategy for Tory Burch, based in Tokyo. Previously with Goldman Sachs and Kering, she leads integrated marketing, digital commerce, and brand strategy in one of the world’s most sophisticated luxury markets.
She recently joined Dartmouth’s Center for Career Design during the Off-the-Green Fashion Week Career Trek in New York City, speaking with students interested in building careers in the global fashion industry.
Here, Gabrielle reflects on her path from finance to fashion and how a liberal arts education prepared her to build and scale businesses across cultures.
I went to high school in Singapore and came to Dartmouth as an international student. What drew me most strongly to the College was its liberal arts philosophy. I wanted an education that encouraged intellectual curiosity and interdisciplinary thinking rather than confining me to a single track.
At Dartmouth, I was a Rufus Choate Scholar and completed two modified majors with high honors: Asian and Middle Eastern studies combined with economics, and Asian and Middle Eastern languages and literature, with a focus on Japanese, also combined with economics. That interdisciplinary training later became a powerful foundation for working across global markets and cultures.
Like many students interested in business, I initially pursued finance. During college, I interned at Merrill Lynch and later at JPMorgan as a private banking analyst in New York. After graduation, I joined Goldman Sachs, where I spent two years building a rigorous analytical and financial foundation.
Goldman Sachs was an exceptional training ground. It instilled discipline, precision, and a deep understanding of how businesses operate. Yet during my second year I realized that while I valued the analytical skills I was developing, I wanted to work closer to the creation and growth of businesses themselves. I was drawn to industries that sit at the intersection of commerce, culture, design, and creativity—particularly fashion and luxury.
That realization led me to pivot.
I was drawn to industries that sit at the intersection of commerce, culture, design, and creativity—particularly fashion and luxury.
I pursued a master’s degree in Regional Studies—East Asia (RSEA) at Harvard, deepening my engagement with Asian culture, society, and business. My coursework included classes across Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School, broadening my perspective on both business strategy and public policy. Working closely with renowned Japan specialists at RSEA further strengthened my regional expertise and interest in operating across global markets.
After graduate school I set my sights on luxury fashion, an unconventional move compared with the finance and consulting paths many of my peers were pursuing. I began with a buying summer internship at Bergdorf Goodman, gaining firsthand exposure to the commercial side of luxury retail and the ecosystem connecting brands, retailers, and consumers.
Soon after, an opportunity emerged to help launch and build e-commerce operations for a global fashion brand in Japan. My background in economics, Japanese language, and regional market expertise made the role a natural fit. In 2018 I relocated to Tokyo.
What initially began as a two-year international experience evolved into a long-term career. Two years later I joined Kering Group, where I led the APAC execution of a global digital transformation initiative across four luxury maisons and nine countries, partnering directly with headquarters in Paris to strengthen omnichannel performance and customer engagement across the region. Following that experience, I was recruited by Tory Burch to lead marketing, communications, e-commerce, and brand strategy for the Japan business.
In my current role, my work sits at the intersection of brand building, digital commerce, and retail strategy. I collaborate closely with retail, merchandising, and global leadership teams, leading cross-functional initiatives that strengthen brand positioning while driving sustainable business growth. My focus has been on accelerating digital expansion, integrating marketing and commerce initiatives, and strengthening the brand’s presence in one of the most sophisticated luxury markets in the world.
Japan is an incredibly dynamic and demanding market for luxury brands. Success here requires not only strong brand storytelling but also disciplined execution, deep cultural understanding, and seamless coordination between global strategy and local market insight.
Looking back, my Dartmouth education played a major role in preparing me for this path. The liberal arts approach encourages intellectual flexibility, cultural literacy, and critical thinking — skills that are essential when operating in global industries like fashion and luxury.
My advice to Dartmouth students is that it is perfectly fine not to know your exact career direction at the beginning. Many careers today are non-linear. What matters most is remaining intellectually curious, pursuing opportunities that challenge you, and building skills that allow you to adapt as industries evolve.
My advice to Dartmouth students is that it is perfectly fine not to know your exact career direction at the beginning. Many careers today are non-linear. What matters most is remaining intellectually curious, pursuing opportunities that challenge you, and building skills that allow you to adapt as industries evolve.
A liberal arts education provides an extraordinary foundation for this. It teaches you how to think across disciplines, communicate clearly, and understand different cultures—capabilities that open doors in unexpected ways.
As the luxury industry continues to evolve through digital transformation and globalization, I believe the future will belong to leaders who can hold two things simultaneously—a deep respect for brand heritage and the commercial courage to reinvent how that brand reaches the next generation of consumers. That intersection is where I find the work most exciting, and where I believe the most interesting careers in this industry will be built.
For Dartmouth students considering unconventional paths, give yourself the courage to explore. The career you ultimately build may look very different from what you first imagined. In my experience, that is rarely a problem. It is usually the point.