3 minute read

CONNECT WITH ALAIN NAJAR ON LINKEDIN

With so many memories at EHL , would you have a few memorable ones to share ?

AN: Oh yes , the first that comes to my mind is my arrival I was lucky that, back then , EHL was a small school , very similar to when I used to come as a student myself. At the time , we were celebrating EHL’s 100 th anniversary and we went to Disneyland Paris to celebrate . It was a memorable experience , one that I will never forget

Advertisement

I also have fond memories of my time with my faculty members such as Mr. Durusel , Mr. Lugeon , Mr. Salvisberg and many more . The welcome I received on February 1992 was awesome .

Also , I participated in many Fête Finale and theater activities in the school At the time , both faculty members and students participated in Fête Finale It was so great

This is a school of life, family, knowledge, and so much more. I’d certainly study hospitality again, it’s such a wonderful profession.

I remember as if it were yesterday when Karen Earl , still a student back then , said to me “ Monsieur Najar, would you like to participate in the Fête Finale ? “ And I said ,

‘’sure , why not Let ’s be crazy !’’.

And I was on the stage , almost bare skin I was wearing a kind of pyjama and singing a silly song

“omelette omelette aux oignon et aux champignons ” in front of all the students . Karen is now one of my best friends and I even hired her to teach Finance here Life is full of nice surprises

I played many roles for Fete Finale after that, such as Cassanova , Julius Caesar Those memories are extraordinary

Another funny memory I have is the now famous ‘ mini bar incident ’. At the time , I was teaching about room service and I was given a mini bar to use in class Two days in , I entered my class and it was stinking , but I had no idea where the smell came from I started sniffing around and opened the mini bar Turns out, studentshad put fish inside it I got so mad and started screaming * laughs* people could hear me up to Lausanne .

Oh , I have so many more memories

For you , what was a constant at EHL throughout all these years ?

AN: Oh , for certain it ’s the EHL Spirit, which is to me one of the most spectacular things about this school . To me , what makes this place special is the family we build . Events such as the annual Gala dinners are a wonderful way to get the family together, even after graduation The Back to the Roots Event was spectacular I met students who graduated in 1995 who had started studying in 1992. They were my first students .

This culture is what really matters here and what we should fight to maintain , it should remain as the foundation of the EHL Family

Is there any message you would like to share with the alumni around the world ?

AN: First of all , thank you , thank you , THANK YOU ! I met the most amazing people , be it students , faculty members , management Plus , so many of the students have become my friends

So , thank you , dear alumni , for being who you are , for giving me so much , for making me grow. Because I ’ ve also learned so much from you Thank you as well for sharing this wonderful experience with me , and for being patient with me * laughs*.

Thank you for all the good times we shared here in the school , for the parties and all those special memories So really, I only want to say thank you , because you ’ ve really made my life special

Tell us about “Najar Consulting Services”.

AN: I hope to continue to give my expertise whenever possible and I hope to do so with my consulting company. The idea is to help the alumni in their businesses via consultancy, training, etc

Alumni know me and if they want to benefit from my expertise, feel free to reach out.

What will you miss the most from daily life here?

AN: Oh, everything I’ll miss this family Spirit, the school keeping me young, the daily interactions with so many interesting people from around the world Of course, I’ll miss the students and the amazing lifestyle we shared.

I wish all the success to each and every EHL Alumni, to all my colleagues You are all the guardians of the EHL Spirit, and we need you

This article is from: