ENG AEHL - eJournal - October 2021

EHL Alumni

eJOURNAL Exploring New Boundaries

A Word From Zina Singer EHL Updates Q&A with EHL Community Stamm Updates Bottin

A word from Zina Singer Society is evolving fast. In hospitality, as in other sectors, new technologies are forever changing the business landscape, while social issues such as sustainability and social impact becoming increasingly prevalent. We are also seeing something of a generational shift.

Whereas previous generations typically favored stability in their careers, younger generations have a desire to try new things. To experiment. To seek change.

Such desires create the perfect fit with EHL, and our ambition to not only be part of progress, but to drive it. As an alumna myself, I know first-hand the attention that is put on identifying and addressing new opportunities in the industry – and it was this stimulating approach that encouraged me to return to EHL, this time as Head of Innovation Pole & Director of Innovation Foundation, and develop the EHL Innovation Village, the first business incubator for digital, food and hospitality start-ups.

Innovation is an essential ingredient of EHL's DNA. And our aim is to foster students' entrepreneurial ambitions while supporting the renewal of the industry. EHL's dedication to innovation continues to grow with increased financial support to start-ups, academic research and business collaboration.

With one third of students interested in starting their own company, we have also launched the Student Entrepreneurial Journey providing a framework of holistic support for students’ entrepreneurial development. This Journey features several key steps across the six semesters of the Bachelor program, including networking events, pitch sessions, coaching from EHL professors, and internship opportunities for their own start-up, or within one of the 27 start-ups that are now part of our community. During the whole Journey, the EHL Incubator provides the physical infrastructure (office, common areas) and supportive ecosystem.

One example of a start-up that has evolved through the Student Entrepreneurial Journey is Vikarus, developed by River Soellner during his studies at EHL. Vikarus aims to disrupt the wine industry by tailoring its presentation to the Generation Z audience. During his Bachelors, River was able to intern himself at Vikarus, recruit others to intern for him, and conducted a consulting group project on the start-up at the Innovation Village. Vikarus has been a great success so far, exceeding projections, and now forms one of the 27 start-ups in our community.

Over the coming years, we anticipate this community to grow substantially within the EHL Group, offering new opportunities for students, alumni and talents beyond EHL alike. As society around us continues to evolve, so must we. By providing the ecosystem to further entrepreneurial thinking and ambitions, the EHL will maintain its position as a true training ground for the leaders of tomorrow.

Zina Singer (AEHL 1997) Head of Innovation Pole & Director of Innovation Foundation

EHL Passugg Updates EHL Passugg: Faculty Testimonial with Frank Giannotti How did your interest in the hospitality industry begin?

My favorite holiday of the year was Christmas Eve. This was my family's turn to host the whole family for a big party event. I knew that I was going to see all of my family and we would all celebrate being with each other over a big meal that my Mom would cook. I guess this was the beginning of my interest in hospitality. From there, my first job was at the restaurant on the corner of our street. 16 years old, and ever since. I was always completely engaged when working in Food and Beverage.

What is your job right now at EHL Passugg?

I have three primary areas of responsibility at the school. Most recently I have accepted the position of Affective Hospitality Leader. This encompasses the future direction of the school and what will eventually be our defining characteristic. Returning hospitality education to its essence through an educational curriculum focused on the caring of ourselves and others. I am the School’s International Internship Coordinator, where I help connect the professional world of opportunities to our students aspirations. I am also a core member of Senior Lecturers. My subjects are and have included Learning and Working Strategies, Rhetoric, Professional development and preparation, Food and Beverage Control, Beverage Management,and Presentation Skills.

What do you like best about EHL? What I love about EHL is the relentless pursuit of progress. At no point have I felt that the desire to improve and grow would not be completely embraced by this organization. Never have I encountered an entire community of professionals whose driving motivation is to find and develop the best of our industry.

How do you keep your personal hospitality spirit alive?

Easily. It lives within me. There is no separation between the values I live in my professional life from those I live in my personal life. I think this is critical to living a self-actualized life experience. I wake up planning how I can best take care of people and I go to sleep contemplating the same. I think it is also essential to take care of ourselves with the same consideration as we do those around us, as this only enhances our ability to take care of each other.

What do you do next to work and your “hospitality life” to keep the balance?

My wife and I both have full time positions, as well as an incredible young daughter, who is our most precious gift. Finding methods to be considerate of all the important elements of life can be challenging. I wake up early. 4:55. I have a regimented morning that allows me to maintain personal care and be ready for the day ahead. I am able to cook breakfast, lunch and dinner for my family without missing a beat. I am psychotic about food nutrition and cooking which helps me connect professional to personal. My work day has a relentless strategic framework, the same as my home life. Weekends are spent with an emphasis on experiences and family time.

Cooking, eating and enjoying nature. We travel for food. We live for each other.

Frank Giannotti Effective Hospitality Leader, Senior Lecturer and International Career Coordinator

EHL Passugg seizes the chance of the redevelopment of the HF curriculum to intensify the focus on emotional competencies The world as we know is in a state of change, and the COVID-19 pandemic has even fueled it.

The Corona crisis has made it clear to us all that difficult situations and challenges can be tackled and solved primarily with the help of social and emotional intelligence. Matthias Horx, trend and futurologist, again notes a shift from the previous dominance in the area of technology and digitalization to the human factor.

Why do we need emotional competencies in a professional environment?

Emotions are part of our thinking and acting. They help us make important decisions in a short time by retrieving and evaluating all of a person's accumulated experiences in a fraction of a second. That's why it's important to be aware of your emotions, especially in today's digital and complex world. Emotional competence helps to use emotions to achieve our goals. By perceiving and understanding emotions, our own and those of our counterpart, we can consciously respond to better understand the needs of the counterpart and act accordingly.

EHL Passugg is convinced that emotional competence will gain importance on a broad basis, both in the global hospitality market and in the overall business sector. For this reason, EHL Passugg has set itself the goal of taking a holistic view of emotional competence in the new curriculum of the Swiss Professional Degree program and training it in order to best prepare its graduates for the highly competitive global job market.

How are emotional competencies integrated in the new curriculum?

Integration through Emotional Competence Assessment The faculty of EHL Passugg has already started a first trial within the former curriculum where they have integrated the Emotional Competence Assessment, which has been developed by the University of Geneva. This assessment is based on the “Ability” model that describes that emotional intelligence as a competence that can be trained.It measures how well one can deal with one's own and others' emotions in certain work situations, usually "emotionally charged" typical hospitality or office situations. Students will take the test twice, at the beginning and at the end of their studies. Students have to read typical work situations, then choose the appropriate answer depending on the competence to be tested. At the end of the study, the development of emotional intelligence can be observed. The goal of the assessment is to record the students' growth in competence and give them a status report of their emotional competences with the final report. Along with the Emotional Competence Assessment all the subcompetencies mentioned above have been integrated in the curriculum through specific modules, which serve to develop these emotional competencies. Students are actively encouraged to engage with their emotions, to get to know themselves better, and also to actively use their emotions.

Integration through hospitality roles Furthermore, next to the emotional competencies’ based modules, each semester focuses on a specific hospitality role that has been defined in cooperation with the University of St. Gallen. The determined roles are: -Host -Communicator -Entrepreneur -Networker The roles are like a short summary of the competencies a hotelier must have. Behind each role there are of course a number of sub-competencies that are learned in the different modules. For example, during the Communicator semester (semester 2) students visit modules such as business communication, communication & culture, rooms division management and operations or hospitality sales & marketing. Hence, each module supports the growth into the role of a communicator. The roles are designed to help students better understand their future job functions and the competencies to be achieved. Additionally, the focus on career services and professional coachings will be increased, which highlights the overall shift to the affective curriculum.

EHL Singapore Updates We’re so excited to have finally welcomed our inaugural intake onto EHL Campus (Singapore)! All the students have arrived safely and settled into their new lives in Singapore. Read on to find out some key information about our first intake and what they’ve been up to since their arrival!

Our Inaugural Intake This September, we welcomed 52 new BOSC 1 students who represent over 20 nationalities onto EHL Campus (Singapore).

Orientation Week 2021 During Orientation Week, we welcomed 42 in-person and 10 online students for the 3-day program held on campus. Starting with the hybrid welcome ceremony, the CEO of EHL Group, Mr. Michel Rochat, joined the ceremony from Switzerland and gave an opening speech to the students and congratulated them on the start of a new journey. On EHL Campus (Singapore), Jenny Ang, Managing Director, Luciano Lopez, Dean, Christian Lukey, Stammvater Singapore, together with student ambassador Christopher Menon, gave a warm welcome to the students. Throughout the week, various presentations on student & academic affairs, campus facilities, student benefits, and privileges were presented to the students by many EHL members, namely Barbara Martin, Damien Dellea, Joshua Gan, and the Student Council EHL. Students also had the chance to meet their professors Natt Srinara and Guy Llewellyn during the week.

Student Engagement Discover how we’ve been engaging our students on campus throughout their first few weeks of classes:

Values Week – Learning This September, the EHL Group held Values Week across all three campuses and focused on the value of Learning. In Singapore, we wanted our new students to explore Singapore’s food scene and learn a new hobby, so we hosted a miniature clay workshop on campus in between classes. The students learned to make miniature versions of nyonya kuehs, which are classic Peranakan desserts.

Wellness on EHL Campus (Singapore) EHL has collaborated with the Trapeze Rec Club in Singapore to hold weekly fitness & wellness sessions on campus in our beautiful gallery space. These include yoga and HIIT sessions for the students and staff to participate in.

We have also partnered up with Fitness First to provide students & staff with access to their many outlets across Singapore. The community can use the gym and pool facilities as well as participate in various fitness classes.

EHL Campus (Singapore) & EHL Alumni On Day 3 of the academic semester, the first cohort of EHL Campus (Singapore) had the chance to meet with four alumni (from left to right): Siddharth Biswas of Next Story Group, Huilin Quek of Q Industries Group, Yannick Dedigama of Aquaspin™ and Philipp Blaser of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. They reminisced fondly about their experiences in EHL, challenges and successes in their careers and ended by joining the students for lunch.

On October 6th, our alumni Rufus Sorsa: Associate Director, Antler and Melissa Lou: Co-Founder & CEO, Delegate met with the students and shared about the entrepreneurship landscape in Singapore and their own journeys in the field of innovation.

People Analytics Short Course Given the rapid digital transformation in today’s organizations, the need for data-driven decision-making in HR has become essential. The People Analytics short course took place on EHL Campus (Singapore) between August 30th - September 3rd, 2021, with a focus on understanding the application of data analytics to examine common HR challenges. Twelve participants with varying backgrounds in hospitality and human resources joined the course, which was delivered by Dr. Sébastien Fernandez, Associate Professor at EHL.

Fun Facts about Singapore!

1. Did you know that the name Singapore was derived from the Sanskrit word Singapura, which translates into ‘Lion City’?

The prince Sang Nila Utama, who was said to be the founder of Singapore, saw a lion on the island and took it as a sign of good fortune – thus naming the island after the animal.

2. There are 27 Singlish words in the official Oxford English Dictionary!

Singlish, the colloquial language of Singapore, is a complicated creole combining words from the four official languages here. Some of the words that made it into the OED include ang moh, kiasu, shiok and sabo! Can you guess what these words mean?

Employer's Testimonials

Dorchester Collection “For the past 10 years, Dorchester Collection has enjoyed a wonderful relationship with Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne.

EHL has consistently educated a strong calibre of graduates that have flourished at Dorchester Collection.

Our long partnership has seen these future leaders excel within our guest centric organisation as EHL students are prepared for on the job challenges that arise and have immense practical and theoretical knowledge. We are proud to continue our relationship with EHL through the careers fairs and our partnership with The Young Hoteliers Summit”.

Mr. Eugenio Pirri, Chief People & Culture Officer Global Diversity Champion

L'Oréal “As the leading company in cosmetics on the Swiss market, we strive to recruit the most talented young graduates. The culture of excellence at EHL, coupled with the broad language skills (mostly German, English and French) of many students at the school, often provides an excellent fit between our needs and the aim of EHL students”.

Mr. Eric Salamin Talent Acquisition Manager

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) “Every year, the ICRC recruits EHL alumni. They occupy various positions, at headquarters or in the field, ranging from human resources to finance. What we particularly appreciate is their mastery of several languages, their experience in international and/or multicultural environments and their organizational skills. They are also detail-oriented professionals with good communication skills and the ability to work in sometimes stressful conditions. This is why, for more than 10 years, we come to meet students during the EHL Career Fair.”

Ms. Virginia Malembe ICRC - Global Talent Attraction Coordinator

PwC “When participating in EHL events, we experience and appreciate the professionalism, the client and service orientation and the diverse profiles of EHL students. This is exactly what we are looking for at PwC”.

Ms. Caroline Poncet PwC | Human Capital Marketing Events & Relations Expert

News From EHL Departments EHL Guide for Professional Appearance The EHL dress code historically holds a key place in our institution. It is a strong pedagogical tool for our students, and it sets a framework of excellence for our broader community.

As a globally established institution we need to constantly self-reflect, and improve ourselves.

With great diversity across our different campuses, and associates around the world, it seemed only fitting to update our framework by implementing more inclusive standards for our entire community.

Amongst other features, our new inspirational guide is specifically written according to genderneutral standards. In short, there will be no more binary distinction made between a dress code “for gentlemen” and a dress code “for ladies”. In addition, cultural business attire and religious symbols are now also accepted on all EHL Campuses.

Now more benevolent and in touch with our industry’s and community’s needs, we are confident that this new guide will help foster a greater sense of belonging among our Staff, Faculty members, and Students.

At EHL, we want everyone to feel safe and at ease in the way they present themselves – while remaining in alignment with our established framework of excellence – and most of all in respect of their identities.

The approach taken in this new document will be constantly evolving and will be reviewed on a regular basis, whenever necessary.

The EHL professional attire has long been a strong pillar of our institution and it will remain so, as we continue to present ourselves within the standards set by our industry - Communications Team Download the full guide here

News From EHL Alumni Department Monthly Student & Alumni Apero Event

With a long absence of events on and off Campus it felt to us that there was a need of bringing the Alumni Community back on Campus for two reasons.

First we know that we all have a strong attachment to the School and we that we need to know the latest on Campus gossips, and for this there is only one thing that can be done: go up to Chalet-à-Gobet and get a drink by Mbar after a Campus tour.

Secondly, we realized that there was a gap between students and alumni, and we wanted to close this gap, just like the EHL Rugby Committee and the ARE 1997 do every year for the past 23 editions of the Nini & Peter Barakat Challenge.

This is how we decided to launch the monthly Alumni – Student on Campus Apéros. We went for the first Thursday of each month to organize this event (next one on November 4th) and the first Apéro of a long series happened on October 7th.

Over a hundred students applied for one of the 50 available spots, while the 50 alumni seats took only a few hours to be filled.

The whole point of this event is to create connections between students and alumni, this is why we helped the first interaction with a small ice breaker. So if you feel like sharing your experience with a student, or just want to know more about what’s happening on Campus do not hesitate to register for the next Apéro!

And if you feel that you are too far from Campus to come, we could see to organize something with the students and interns in your region, just like we did on the same day in Valais with the EHL Watersports Committee and Stamm Valais for the discovery of Alaïa Bay (a surf pool in Sion) where students and alumni mingled in the pool and during an Apéro.

Below a message from a current student Ryan M. Laver who attended the October Apéro.

Ryan M. Laver BOSC 5

“After having months of digital encounters, this inperson apéro was a true delight – it was a wonderful opportunity to witness the beauty and power of the EHL spirit, which stays alive upon graduating.

Exchanging in such an informal and casual ambiance with AEHL was a great occasion and a great inspiration to discover the various paths EHL Alumni take upon receiving their EHL degree. For me, networking is not about just connecting people. It’s about connecting people with like-minded and passionate individuals, people with ideas, and people with opportunities."

Pathfinder's Initiatives

Dear EHL Alumni, What do you really think about the culture of EHL today? And what is the culture of EHL that you aspire to have tomorrow?

Hmmm…and who are we to ask you this? We are the “Pathfinders” a super diverse group of 16 people with a mission that started back this summer, to help shape the future of EHL for the better.

In collaboration with the Alumni’s Team, the Pathfinders Culture Team would love to hear from you because you care about EHL. If you are willing to voice your opinion, this is the opportunity to do so. We’ve designed a 10 min survey, completely anonymous, that you can respond in English, French, or German latest by Nov.8: (please use Chrome or Firefox).

We will be happy to share the results with you on Feb 2022 !

Thank you very much for your kind consideration and we truly hope that you participate in our short survey. For any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at: culture@ehl.ch With warm regards, The Pathfinder Culture Team and Alumni Team

Privilege Program Offers Aequem A company leading the movement towards sustainability in the world of online shopping. Aequem is the shopping destination offering over 80 brands for men and women. From fashion to accessories and lifestyle piece Offer: We're offering a 15% discount code for the EHL community that applies on checkout for anything on our website. s all the products on Aequem are ethically and sustainably made The offer is a 15% off discount code made especially for the EHL alumni, staff, and students. The discount code is used at checkout with no restrictions Discount Code: EHL Contact: ieva@aequem.com

Harstraa Accessories A woman-owned business that specializes in hair accessories that you will actually want to wear. Providing high-quality claw clips, scrunchies, and headbands so that you never have a bad hair day.

Offer: - When ordering via our website, EHL students/staff/faculties will receive a 15% discount on all claw clips & headbands - When shopping on our website, use the code in order to receive a 15% discount at the checkout Contact: info@harstraa.com

Don't Tell Aunty Comprised of two areas, Aunty & Uncle Lausanne SA has a restaurant, Uncle Gau, with a speakeasy bar & lounge below, Don’t Tell Aunty. In Uncle Gau, we serve contemporary Eurasian cuisine in a sharing plates style that can be enjoyed with a classic cocktail, local beers, or carefully selected wines.

In Don’t Tell Aunty, our team has put together creative cocktails & a unique selection of spirits to create an elevated experience Offer: Please show proof upon arrival: student/staff/alumni card or login to your EHL account & show to the staff 20% off all beverages during after work at Uncle Gau (15h-18h) 20% off all beverages after work at Don't Tell Aunty (18h-20h) 20% off private events held at Uncle Gau or Don't Tell Aunty Contact: info@unclegau.ch

Sitting with Faculty Dr. Sébastien Fernandez Tell us a bit about yourself

By profession, I majored in psychology at the University of Lausanne, and I have been an associate professor at EHL for ten years now. I am swiss, but I have a double nationality of Spanish, but I don't speak the language too well. I was born and raised in Lausanne and am currently 58 years old, married, and have two beautiful children. In terms of hobbies or sports that I enjoy, I have a real passion for anything related to research, ranging from looking at previous research and reading a lot. In terms of sports, I enjoy playing anything that involves a racket, for example, table tennis, tennis, squash, and badminton.

You recently traveled to Campus Singapore and Passugg, What was the purpose behind the visit and how was the Campus compared to expectation?

My journey to Campus Singapore and Passugg was to deliver a similar course that I am teaching in Bosc 6 of people analytics transformed as a short course for my visit. We usually had a more straightforward version because it was different for executives and managers to come for a week, so it was only a two-day condensed yet very concentrated course. My impression of the campuses is that I was glad to see different environments even with the same brandings, EHL. But at the Dr. Sébastien FERNANDEZ same time, regardless of the same company and the school's Associate Professor name, all campuses gave out a different atmosphere and environment; in other words each Campus had a distinct yet unique identity. In Campus Singapore, I liked how it was small and compact. It seemed like I was entering into a small chalet in the mountains in Switzerland! But what grabbed my attention was that everyone on the Campus knew each other. It gives you the impression of the value, family. As in EHL Lausanne, we are still a family but all divided into four intakes. The profiles in every Campus were very different; for example, people in my lectures in Singapore and Passugg were much older and experienced than Campus Lausanne. If I were to give the lectures, the students in Singapore and Passugg wanted to connect more based on their experiences, whereas in Campus Lausanne, students were more eager to learn more about the topic I have mentioned.

3. The new collaborations with Mr. Signorell is coming up, what do you aim to bring to the lectures and what do you want the students to walk out of class with?

I had the pleasure to meet Mr. Signorell, I have had a meeting with him for 4-5 hours, but we only had a chance to explore 10% of what we plan to bring. Even if we have different backgrounds and profiles, our objectives and trajectories are pretty similar; Since he studied at EHL and worked in the swiss army. We have the same procedures, but we have a different order; I had a background in psychology and started my earlier career in the swiss army as a psychologist, whereas Mr. Signorell started his career as an EHL student. We know the same places but for different reasons. We are still in connection for collaboration, and we would like to bring him into the classroom and still debating if it's better to bring him for HBP or for people analytics. Mr. Signorell has the two hats, meaning that he can link his current profession to the hotelier mindset and have the capability of thinking like a psychologist. Having the perspective of someone who has a long carried mindset of a hotelier could be insightful.

We have not decided on which format to carry out the collaboration, but something for sure is that it could be fascinating not only for myself and Mr. Signorell but also for the students who are joining for the lecture. He has a lot of anecdotes and examples. He asked me to send him my class slides, and he wants to get inspired by what I am teaching so that he can bring the necessary assets to optimize the ongoing curriculum. He was also volunteering to sit in the classroom as an auditor to experience the class's curriculum. I hope that it could be a midterm and long term collaboration. He could speak about some projects that he conducted in the context of the swiss army that shows precise data and how the data have been used to make decisions—for example, picking people that can be optimized in a specific area or a profession in the military. How the army can change people's personality, I am afraid that students might not be of interest as on the contrary, this is very interesting for me. After the potential collaborations, I hope that the students could walk out of the classroom with the impression that psychology as a whole is vital. I hope that this course, in general, could help students modify their decision-making process, and I believe that if students can do so in the future, that is enough success for me as a professor. I hope that the students after the potential collaborations, could walk out the classroom with an impression that psychology as a whole is very important. I hope that this course in general could help students modify in their decision making process and I believe that if students are able to do so in the future, that is enough success for me as a professor.

Sitting with an Alumni François Dufond Introduce yourself and your relationship with EHL I am a French citizen. After growing up in Paris, I came to Switzerland in 1993 for my higher education. I graduated from EHL in 1997, then attended HEC Lausanne and, after a few years in the workforce, I passed the federal diploma in public accounting. I have been working in Geneva for over 20 years.

Even as a child, I loved to cook and was destined to work in the hotel and restaurant industry. When I was old enough to go to university, my parents suggested that I take the EHL entrance exam, because at the time admission was by competitive examination! EHL has always been a lighthouse, a home base that is deeply rooted in me: it is an unbreakable link, an immense feeling of pride and belonging to a community that is both local and international, and I have experienced countless memories that are engraved in my memory for eternity. To this day, I am very proud to be a graduate of the school, and I will be very happy to have one of my children attend the school when they are old enough to go to college.

What was one of the most important lesson learned at EHL, and how does that affect you today?

For me, being a solitary person, EHL taught me to work in a team. Whether it was in the kitchen, in the dining room, through the TP groups or within the committee that organized the final François Dufond (AEHL 1997) party "A Night in Venice", EHL opened the way for me to realize Founder of MySwissCFO that it is necessary to federate diverse skills, to learn from the personalities of others, their backgrounds, and their culture as well, in order to grow and advance a common backgrounds, and their culture as well, in order to grow and advance a common project. I have this deep belief that our differences enrich us much more than they distance us. From this experience acquired at EHL, I have learned that a good company director, in addition to his or her individual technical and human skills, must know how to surround himself or herself with a team of specialists, with diverse sensibilities, and unite them around a project.

What was your biggest motivation in starting a business in Finance?

I have been working in corporate finance for over 15 years. Creating a company active in this sector has never been an end in itself. However, there are two fundamental reasons why I decided to create my own company. Life had a few surprises in store for me on the private front, which meant that I had to move away from my children's place of residence, even though they were born in Annecy. Given my custody regime, it had become incompatible with a position of responsibility on a salaried basis in order to be a present father to my children. Professionally, after having held several positions in corporate finance management, I realized that I thrived much more in managing ambitious projects in very challenging environments than in positions where it was enough to simply run the systems in place. In the positions I held, once everything was running smoothly, I quickly got bored. Finally, I was betting that the job market would evolve towards a need for more flexibility on the part of recruiters, who would want to hire professionals on an assignment basis rather than as an employee.It is therefore in light of this threefold observation that I created my own structure in January 2020, offering financial management services à la carte.

In 5 years, what do you seek to achieve for yourself and for your business (MySwissCFO)?

Privately, you will have understood, I want to be a father for my children. This is the essential reason for the creation of my company. On a professional level, I will be simply happy to be able to live with dignity from my professional activity, and to make benefit from my competences a broad panel of customers who would be satisfied!

Sitting with a Staff Barbara Martin Hi Barbara! Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today. Would you mind introducing yourself to our community?

I’m Barbara Martin, I’m the Academic Advisory/Student Affairs Manager at EHL Lausanne & Singapore and I’m an alum from the school. I graduated in 1997, I started my career in a five-star hotel in the region of Lausanne at the Front Office and then as a purchasing manager. After that, I started at IMD and thought I would just stay a couple of months – I stayed 13 years and really fell in love with education. I went through some learning & development and HR roles, and then started in 2015 at EHL as a Student Affairs Manager.

What’s the first thing you do in the morning to get your workday started?

What I really do first thing in the morning is to pour myself a nice cup of tea. I go through my emails and my calendar so that I can start the day, have an overview and get full of energy!

What is your daily motivation?

It’s really the students. Being there for the students, helping them out, finding the best option for them – not always what they want, but helping them to seek solutions and to guide them through their academics or whatever situation they’re facing.

Barbara Martin (AEHL 1997) Academic Advisory/Student Affairs Manager EHL Lausanne/Singapore

What is your greatest strength in your role?

Well, my greatest strength is definitely the team I’m working with. I’m gifted to work with a team of experts; I could not do it on my own. We all have an understanding of the ecosystem of EHL, the rules and regulations, the directive and really that ground helps us guide the students and be there for them, keeping the big picture on one hand and finding individual solutions for all the requests.

What are you looking forward to the most for this new semester?

To start this first cohort, to have students on campus. I feel really gifted to share this amazing experience with them. It’s going to be an incredible semester.

Go-to way to wind down after a long day?

A good run. I love running in Switzerland as I live in the countryside. And to my surprise, I love running here in Singapore (a bit more crossroads though!).

Quickfire round: Where is your happy place?

At home.

Best thing about living in Singapore?

The weather, but not those rainy days, and sharing this experience with my kids.

3 adjectives to describe yourself.

Active, full of energy and benevolent.

Food/drink that you could have for the rest of your life?

White wine.

Sitting With a Staff Barbara Martin

Sitting with a Student & an Alumni Nicole Müller (BOSC 5) & Carmen Müller (AEHL 2020) Carmen, what was your experience attending EHL? I was always interested in hospitality, but my sister, Nicole, first had the idea of going to EHL. She told me about it, and once I had a look, it didn’t take me long to decide I wanted to go there. I was living in Singapore at the time, and Joshua Gan came to our campus and met with a group of five of us, and three of us ended up attending.

Nicole, how did you first hear about EHL? I knew I wanted to go into hospitality, but I was still considering different options. I heard about EHL quite early, when I was around 16, attending career fairs in Singapore, where I kept running into Joshua Gan. He and I stayed in touch and helped me apply after high school before taking a gap year, which eventually turned into two years working for Swiss International Airlines.

(Nicole far left Carmen second from right)

Nicole, did your time working for Swiss evolve your idea of hospitality before you began EHL? A lot of my perceptions of hospitality changed working as a flight attendant. I knew hospitality from one side already, but after working for two years, I knew hospitality was something I wanted to discover more of, not just from the service side but more the luxury industry. Swiss gave a personal insight into hospitality but then coming into EHL; I learned so much more.

Carmen, what is a favorite memory from your time as a student?

The people you meet at EHL form your experience, and we had both the French section and the English section mixed quite well, and towards the end, there were over 200 people that went to Thailand for our grad trip. However, being part of Fête Final was a highlight. I was in the marketing team and assisted with the organization from start to finish was quite impressive to see what a student-based organization was capable of.

Nicole, do you also have a favorite memory?

In Bosc 1, just after our internship when we all came back together for the first time. Everyone had such different experiences and getting to know the people in your team and your friends all over again was a true highlight.

Do you feel your experience at EHL was changed with Carmen already being on campus when you arrived?

If anything, it was changed for the better. Carmen prepared me for what was to come and what to look out for. I was able to visit her on campus a few times before I was a student and get comfortable with the campus already.

Seeing Carmen’s graduation made me appreciate my time at EHL even more than I would have otherwise.

Carmen, you are currently working towards your master’s degree. What impacted was your decision to continue with your education directly after EHL? I graduated in February 2020 and finding a job in the hospitality industry was not as ideal as I imagined it would be.

Initially, I was planning to take a short break until June 2020 and use the time between to find a job; however, as the global situation wasn’t improving, many companies had hiring freezes, and for many of them, having a master’s degree was important. I thought about the possibilities of going back to school and found a program where I would work and study part-time. I wanted to continue to be financially independent and gain experience in marketing, so it seemed the best way to go forward was to specialize with another degree.

Has your trajectory now changed because of going back to school?

Currently, I am living with two other EHL Alumni. They also just finished their master’s, so it was the combination of having EHL and another degree to create new opportunities. I would consider still working in the hospitality industry, and currently, I am working for a pop-up agency that an EHL Alumni also found. It’s fascinating as you still need all the skills, we learned at EHL. Still, more we use everyday life skills, like communicating with others and bringing the hospitality aspect into business situations.

How do you see yourself remaining a close part of the Alumni Network?

There is a big group of people who I graduated with that is now also living in Zürich. I get to see them on a weekly basis, and it’s been vital staying connected the past years. Now with events beginning again, I see myself attending more Stamm events and continuing to branch out.

Nicole, what is on the horizon for you with graduation in less than one year?

I am considering more and more going towards a working graduate program and taking a year or two to gain more experience in different roles, maybe in business development or marketing. I want to stay in Switzerland initially, but go back to Asia or generally abroad after a few years. Living in Asia growing up, I still feel very connected, and I want to return at some point.

Sitting with a StammLady Sara Arzan Introduce yourself. Describe your relationship with EHL and the network.

My name is Sara Arzan; I graduated from EHL last July during the covid pandemic and continued my passion for entrepreneurship through my studies in a master's school in London. With the increase of Romanians within EHL, EHL and I thought that the creation of Stamm Romania was essential. In terms of the network, when I first did my internship in Geneva, the general manager was an EHL alumnus automatically gave me an automatic connection.

What are some key factors and motivations for becoming a Stammlady?

Firstly the motivation is derived from hearing about the different Stamms around the world. It was sad that we didn't have one in Romania out of all the Stamms existing in the world. Firstly, a Stamm can be easily said to be a place to network and create friends. Especially now that EHL has a new Alumni platform called Connect, it is easier for people to track and trace opportunities and network. It is an excellent opportunity to meet everyone in the country who is an EHL alumnus or student. Help everyone else get in contact with other AEHL alumni in the country.

It is nice to see each member already catching up within the committee. If someone is looking for a job or an open position, the Stamm committee would be instrumental and beneficial.

Sara Arzan (AEHL 2020) StammLady of Romania

With the first Stamm Romania event on the books, what are the future plans in terms of events and for the AEHL Community in Romania?

Our first event happened in April, and it was an online event; and I was happy to see many people sign up and show up. As of now, we are still sticking to online events. As I mentioned earlier, many EHL Romanian alumni and students are not currently in the country, so people can still join and show up with convenience. The biggest issue is to think of a way to bring everyone together, face-to-face, not just online.

The committees consist of people of different age groups. We hope to bring people from other age groups to establish a new perspective and image of the Stamm itself- having people very experienced and people who are just stepping into the industry. The Stamm itself is very young. Therefore, we are taking small steps into developing the Stamm, potentially hosting events, and making the Stamm active.

Where do you see yourself in five years? What about the Stamm in Romania?

I think that is a challenging question to answer with Covid, but as of now, everything is going to change superbly quickly. Since I have achieved my master's in entrepreneurship, I am very interested in events and sustainability; therefore, I want to open my own company on events in the future. Currently, I am working for a hospitality tech company; I have been working with them since my second internship.

In terms of the Stamm, I hope that we will be over 100 people by then, people exchanging idea and knowledge, potentially working alongside each other and valuing each other like "family" The plan in the committee is to create activities where people can benefit from with new and fresh knowledge.

Official Launch of Stamm Romania

The EHL Stamm Romania has organized its first meeting in Bucharest, with the presence of His Excellency, Ambassador of Switzerland in Romania, Mr. Arthur Mattli. At the time being, 60 Romanian students are attending the university classes, the master’s degree program, and MBA at Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, the Number 1 hospitality school in the World. The conclusion of this first meeting refers to the importance of quality education in tourism in the actual context of lack of employees. For the moment, there are great opportunities for study at EHL. I am very proud to see that our first event was a real success. It was an honor for us to have as a special guest His Excellency, Ambassador of Switzerland in Romania, Mr. Arthur Mattli. For the future, we hope to be able to organize more events like this, to unite even more the community, to be closer to each other, and create more projects for the Romanian tourism“, said Sara Arzan, Stammlady of the Romanian AEHL community.

Bottin Our deepest condolences goes to the family and friends of: Alain Schauder AEHL 1978 Gustavo Adolfo Jean-Mairet AEHL 1976 Airy Garrigosa AEHL 1967 Thomas Mangold AEHL 1950 Francois Hofer AEHL 1960

Congratulations to: Sophie Kleinknecht Zurkirchen AEHL 2003 & Philippe Zurkirchen AEHL 2008, for the birth of their son Kingson Kok AEHL 2007, for the birth of his daughter Alexane de Tonnac de Villeneuve AEHL 2012, for the birth of her daughter Nicolas Freudiger AEHL 2015, for the birth of his son Magdalena Müller (Buchs) AEHL 2015, for the birth of her son Géraldine Pfister AEHL 2015, for the birth of her daughter Anna Pozniakoff Georges AEHL 2015, for the birth of her son Julien Ryter AEHL 2015, for the birth of his daughter Camille Fall-Baud, AEHL 2017, for the birth of her daugther Frédérique Etter AEHL 2014, for her wedding Michael Pennick AEHL 2014, for his wedding Patrick Rossire AEHL 2014, for his wedding Camille Bodson AEHL 2015, for her wedding Sophie Bron AEHL 2015, for her wedding Loïc Giacomini AEHL 2015, for his wedding Simon Maag AEHL 2015, for his wedding Antoine Tardiou AEHL 2015, for his wedding Nadine Cattan AEHL 2016 & Mike Chavanne AEHL 2017, for their wedding Anastasia Kasakova AEHL 2018 & Hampus Ljunggren AEHL 2016, for their wedding Sophie Maurissen, AEHL 2017, for her wedding Raya Zoghby AEHL 2017, for her wedding

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