Alex Hemingway ('94)

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BLAZERS, NOW AND FOREVER Interview with Alex Hemingway ('96)

Alex Hemingway is an entrepreneur and restaurateur, with twenty-two years in the hospitality business. He is the current President of the AISB Alumni Association, a member of the first graduating classes at AISB and a former AISB School Board member. Alex has three children presently attending the school: Christie, Grant and Pierce.

What was the AISB Campus like when you first attended?

When I first attended, AISB was at our original Csilleberc campus in the Buda Hills. That sprawling campus was more akin to a small college campus in the northeastern United States than to a private international high school in Central Europe. We had a small graduating class of eighteen students and were a very close group of friends. Classes took place in different buildings with the sports facilities spread throughout the area. There were so few of us that everyone had to join every sport and every club; otherwise there wouldn’t be enough to have it. Students were able to drive to school in their own cars and leave campus for lunch. We had the great experience of being semi-independent while still being within an academic institution.

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Do you have a favorite teacher or memory from AISB?

As a third culture kid attending high school at AISB, that period is a very vivid one for me, as it certainly was for anyone attending at that time.

The two teachers that I enjoyed the most were a family pair, Tom Cangiano and his wife Linda.

Tom taught American History while his wife Linda taught science and oversaw Model United Nations and the Debate Society. They were both intense personalities but very likable and had a great sense of humor.

A memorable moment was being on campus the day the pop-up gym burned down, which is the reason we are called the Blazers today. Like all high schoolers, my thinking was dominated by figuring out where I would attend college, trying to do well and spending time with my friends.

While it was a great experience, today AISB is a much more developed institution than it was then.

What lessons from AISB were you able to apply to your own life?

Foundational education is clearly the greatest benefit that I received at AISB. However, two key lessons came from that time for me: focus and flexibility. The first came from the realization that while I naturally did well in those subjects that I enjoyed, the key to achievement was focusing harder on those I did not. The lesson was that my overall strength was tied to my willingness to shore up those areas I was not

naturally inclined to. The second lesson, even more important, was flexibility. Empirically, I have seen that the ability to achieve in life is greatly tied to one's ability to adapt and be flexible in new environments. Since then, I have lived in six countries and done business in all of them. That flexibility and ability to adapt has served me well professionally. I have exactly zero qualms about new environments, meeting new individuals and getting into new situations.

What has been your professional path since graduation?

Following AISB, I was thrilled to attend Pepperdine University, which is a fantastic four year college in Southern California. After four engaging years at Pepperdine, I had a roadmap made clear to me by numerous corporate opportunities. That lack of concern about the risk inherent in new situations enabled me to choose my own path as an entrepreneur and restaurateur. Over my business career, I have had the opportunity to be the CEO of a company with over 180 restaurants and the president of one listed on the NASDAQ. I have founded three restaurant companies of my own and have lived and worked in six countries. That professional path began with the flexibility born of necessity at AISB. The entrepreneurial path, such as it is, requires flexibility and determination, above all else. The building blocks of that professional strength were found in the character building at AISB. I am forever grateful to the teachers at AISB and at Pepperdine for spending their time and energy on that young man.

What is your present relationship with the school as an alumnus?

I have been part of the American School community since attending here in the 1990’s, essentially for decades. When we moved back into Europe, I enrolled all three of my children in AISB. Christie, Grant and Pierce have

attended mostly since they were in kindergarten and all three will graduate from AISB as well.

There is enormous continuity in seeing all my children have the wonderful, fulfilling, experiences that I did at the same school I attended. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to serve on the Board of Trustees and as Chair of the Governance Committee, both worthwhile enterprises for parents interested in being a part of the school fabric.

You recently became the President of AISB’s Alumni Council and Association. Tell us about the Council's goals.

What is its purpose?

The Alumni Council itself serves as the advisory to the President of the Alumni Association. Our first act has been to formally create the AISB Alumni Association, of which all graduates of AISB are automatically members. We are presently reaching out to outstanding alumni to join our Council, help us engage local alumni and build our global presence. We have an ambitious agenda for the Alumni Association and are pursuing those goals with some great support from the school.

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What benefits does being a member offer for an alumnus?

Our alumni are global and living fascinating, rewarding lives in business, service leadership, creative arts and education, to a name a few.

The AISB Alumni Association will endeavor to bring that global community together and be a touchstone for all alumni, wherever they are.

Our Alumni Association is designed to build the influential relationships and connections that can last a lifetime.

We will be highlighting individuals through our Outstanding Alumni Series in our Alumni Magazine and in all our social media platforms (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram etc). We want to know about all the wonderful things that alumni are up to and want everyone else to know about them as well.

We are hosting alumni Blazer gatherings in cities around the world and will continue to do so. This year we organized successful networking events in Amsterdam and New York and are committed to doing a minimum of three events a year, including our large alumni event in Budapest. These events are designed to bring together alumni who live in the same city, to meet and network.

We plan to establish a current Alumni Directory so that alumni can reach out to each other in the different cities they may go to. One absolute truth in life is, you never know where it may take you. This is particularly true of Blazers.

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Is there anything else that our alumni community would be interested to know about the Alumni Association or about you?

Yes, as an AISB alumnus you are part of a global community that is unique, diverse and vibrant. We want to help you meet other AISB alumni and will engage with you to help highlight the great work you are doing in your own life and network with others from our community. We are the resource to bring you together with other alumni.

It’s important to remember wherever you go, you are a Blazer, now and forever.

I am always available and can be directly contacted at alumnicouncil@aisb.hu.