On October 4th 2016, Mr. Stefan Leser, CEO of Jumeirah Group, and Mr. Nabil Ramadhan, Group Chief Real Estate and Asset Management Officer, visited Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) in Switzerland. The top-level official visit included EHL Group CEO, Michel Rochat, and Lausanne Hospitality Consulting (LHC) CEO Yateendra Sinh.
LHC is namely credited with the creation of the Emirates Academy, the Dubai-based hospitality management school founded in 2001. The two EHL executives hosted a number of strategic discussions spanning subjects such as academic certifications, student mobility and the future pipeline of joint projects such as the expansion of the Emirates Academy. The two organizations have had important ties since 2000 and are in the process of identifying ways to strengthen the relationship.
During the visit, the Jumeirah delegation also gave EHL students the opportunity to share their experience and aspirations in hospitality management. Bachelor student Pojchara Srivicharnkul had the special privilege of interviewing Mr. Stefan Leser behind closed doors. The successful businessman shared his inspiring vision of the hospitality industry, his take on talent management, and briefly touched on the potential collaborations between Jumeirah Group and EHL.
Q: EHL will soon be hosting its bi-annual career fair and students will need to impress their future employer. What are the most important skills you believe will propel a young professional to a successful career at an international level?
A: To answer this question, I would prefer to look into the attributes and characteristics rather than outlining it as an important set of skills that lead to success. One of the attributes
greatly valued in young professionals, of which I have witnessed a steady progression, is the actual openness of individuals, which can be classified into two aspects – openness to take opportunities, and openness to learn.
Openness to take opportunities means that we are not to be easily discouraged by new challenges, whether it is from a geographic perspective, such as relocation of a job, or from a content perspective. Rather, we take these challenges as opportunities to learn and mature into more proficient professionals.
On the other hand, openness to learn means that we must first comprehend the enormous expectations, the demanding nature, and the particularity that the hospitality industry has. Then, through humbly keeping an open mind, a dedicated heart, and a persistent passion to learn, we will be transformed into successful professionals on an international level.
Q: Do you believe it is important for a manager to have experienced the various roles within a hotel to have adequate insights and manage the staff in an inspiring manner?
A: I believe it is important to have a very versatile set of experiences, especially when you are in a managerial position. You need to have a certain level of in-depth understanding of what the individual’s challenges are in those departments. From my professional background, I am not a hotel manager myself; therefore, I am not a sufficient counter-part to a GM when it comes to certain operational challenges. However, I have other backgrounds that are essential to lead the overall organization with its close to 14,000 employees. At Jumeirah Group, we have adept professionals and hoteliers who have a strong operational and managerial background in the operational area, and who are talented, to motivate, direct, and lead our colleagues in an inspiring manner.
Q: After today’s visit, what are your impressions of EHL as a university-level institution?
A: One thing that distinguished EHL from other university-level institution is how you represent yourself. From the first step I took, I was absolutely impressed by not only the advanced facilities and the hardware of the institution, but also the software aspect from the people I have encountered throughout the day, seeing their passion and dedication towards the hospitality industry. From the way you dress to the way you speak, it speaks for the reputation that the school has around the world.
Q: Strategic ties between leading hotel management schools and international hospitality companies are critical to ensure both employability of the students, and a steady flow of high-quality human talent for the company. How do you see your relationship with EHL in the coming years?
A: At Jumeirah Group, we have always had a lot of our top operators who have various backgrounds from EHL. Those people have been with us since the early days of the company, and have played such imperative roles in bringing their savoir-faire and experiences to enrich our community of professionals.
What I greatly admire about our top operators is that they have never lost their connections to their alma mater whether through alumni gatherings or professional collaborations and mentorship. I don’t think that happens due to chance but rather because people are proud of what they learn, share, and they unite around common values. The EHL alumni network has become a valuable part of our family not only because of its strong sense of community among alumni, but also because the network has established a perfect archetype of universal community of passionate hoteliers that goes beyond its alumni as individuals.
