EHL Hotel General Manager Program

Dr. Demian Hodari is Associate Professor of Strategic Management at EHL. He was previously a hotel general manager and the president of an independent hotel management and consulting company and has worked on four continents. In addition to teaching undergraduate and graduate level classes, Dr. Hodari frequently provides consulting, executive education and strategic planning facilitation for international hotel companies, hotel owners, and individual properties.

Meng-Mei Maggie Chen, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at EHL teaching hotel distribution strategy, online consumer behavior, marketing strategy and digital marketing courses. Before entering higher education, Maggie held positions in various tourism sectors, ranging from hotels to casinos, travel agencies, and consulting.

Dr. Matthias Fuchs is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at EHL and serves as the Director of the Institute for Customer Experience Management. He researches digital customer behavior, product and service configurators, and customer feedback, and his work has been published in top-tier business journals such as the Journal of Marketing Research (ABS 4*, VHB A+, FT50) and the Journal of Business Ethics (FT50). He is an experienced educator who teaches courses in marketing, brand management, customer experience, and computational thinking.

Ian Millar is a Senior Lecturer in the Entrepreneurship and Innovation department at EHL working on the Student Business Projects and delivering hospitality technology courses. Ian serves as an advisor to various hospitality technology companies and was a Member of the Hotel Industry Expert Panel for the Singapore Tourism Board advising hotels in the region on best practice technology usage. He is also a mentor for the Metro Accelerator program, advising various hospitality technology start-up companies. He is currently on the HITEC Amsterdam advisory council, organizing Europe’s largest hospitality technology conference.

Dr. Nicole Hinrichs is Associate Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship and Associate Dean Degree Programs at EHL Hospitality Business School. She is also a member of the faculty of the EMBA at EPFL,Lausanne and a Visting Reader at Imperial College, London. She gained academic experience at Columbia Business School (USA), Wharton Business School (USA), and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, ETH (Switzerland). She received her doctorate summa cum laude from the University of St. Gallen after working for several years as a strategy consultant and in strategic positions in the banking sector. Her research interests focus on the influence of organizational and role identities in the context of strategic decisions that affect transformative change and innovation.

Mr. Stéphane Haddad has more than 20 years’ experience in corporate finance and M&A. He began his career in 1995 at JP Morgan Chase in London and later worked in venture capital. Since 2002, he co-heads the M&A Construction team of London-based merchant bank Nash & Co. He received an MBA (Finance) from CASS Business School, London and a Master in Management from ESCEM Business School (French Grande Ecole). At the EHL, Mr Haddad is a senior lecturer in finance at both bachelor and masters levels and has developed a digital course for EHL’s online platform.

Dr. Sowon Kim is EHL professor and founder of the Women in Leadership (WIL) Initiative. Having lived in eight countries across East Asia, Latin/ North America, and Western Europe, and with over 20 years of work experience in various academic institutions (IESE, INSEAD, Uni. of Geneva) and private companies (consumer goods, high-tech, broadcasting, jewellery), her expertise lies in strategically navigating different cultures and inspiring people to move forward together.

Cédric Poretti, PhD CFA, is an Associate Professor of Accounting at EHL. He developed and teaches courses in financial accounting/managerial accounting/financial statement analysis, and also serves on the academic board. Earlier, Dr Poretti worked in the financial industry (FX trading and private bank) as a portfolio manager and an economist.

Margarita Cruz, PhD in Economics, is an Assistant Professor of Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship at EHL. Margarita’s research lay at the intersection between organizational theory and entrepreneurship, with a particular focus on the role of authenticity on entrepreneurial outcomes such founding of new organizations and introduction of new products.

Giovanni-Battista Derchi, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Management Control at EHL. He obtained a PhD in Management from HEC Lausanne and a Degree in Business Administration from Bocconi University. Dr Derchi is a Scientific Advisor and member of the Scientific Committee of the International Academy of Sport Sciences and Technology (AISTS).

Dr. Frédéric Delley has international experience with start-ups and multinational companies in high technology and brand management. After completing his master's degree in data communication systems at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in 1998, Dr. Delley moved to Silicon Valley, where he worked as a software engineer for Intel Corporation and Cisco Systems and was involved in the development of several software start-ups.

Dr. Cindy Heo is an Associate Professor of revenue management at the EHL. Prior to joining EHL, She taught revenue management course at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and has delivered custom executive education programs on revenue management in Asia, Middle East, and Europe. Dr. Heo is a recipient of numerous research awards including EHL Researcher of the Year Award, Best Paper Award from APAC CHRIE conference and ICOT Young Scientist Award. Her scholarly research and industry consulting focus on the core strategic elements of revenue management, pricing and sharing economy. Prior to joining academia, she had extensive industry experience in the hospitality and tourism fields.

Mr. Damien Kobel has more than 20 years experience in market research, customer experience and management consultancy within different industries. He is a founding member of DKMA S.A. (2005), where he developed and managed the global ‘Airport Service Quality’ initiative which he implemented at over 300 airports worldwide. Before setting up DKMA, Damien worked at Zurich Airport in international business development.

Dr. Stefano Borzillo is an Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior at EHL. He obtained his Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from the University of Geneva and was a Visiting Research Fellow at the Stern School of Business (New York University). His main fields of research are communities of practice, processes of knowledge creation, and best practice transfers in organizations.

Dr. Marc Stierand is an Associate Professor of Service Management and the Director of the Institute of Business Creativity at EHL. Before joining the world of academia, he was a chef in Michelin-starred restaurants and luxury hotels. His research focuses on managerial and organizational cognition and management education and development in the hospitality context, with particular interest in personal and team creativity, intuition, and talent.

Mr. Rémy Rein is a Senior Lecturer at EHL specializing in hotel and real estate management. He has extensive experience in international, multi-site management and consulting within the hospitality industry. With nearly 40 years of career experience, his expertise spans the whole hospitality sector, ranging from zero to five-star properties, residences, resorts and restaurant chains. He has executed over 520 hotels transactions of single and portfolio assets, performing different consulting missions including the supervision of feasibility studies, strategic advice, hotel management agreement and lease negotiations, operator selections.

Dr. Mori has international educational and research experience in Real Estate Finance and Investment in Japan, U.S., Singapore, U.K., and Switzerland. Masaki Mori is constantly ranked as one of the world academic leaders in the area of Real Estate. Prior to joining EHL, Masaki Mori was manager at Nomura Asset Management, Associate Professor of Finance at International University of Japan, Assistant Professor at National University of Singapore, and Associate Professor of Real Estate Finance and Investment at University of Reading.

Dr. René-Ojas Woltering, is an Assistant Professor of Real Estate Finance at EHL. He holds a doctoral degree in Business Administration from the University of Regensburg. His research interests include real estate investment vehicles, investment strategies, and issues relevant to the hospitality industry. His publications have appeared in scholarly journals such as the Journal of Banking and Finance, Real Estate Economics, and the Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics. Dr. Woltering has gained valuable experience in the real asset management, investment management, and consulting industry. He is also awardee of several finance & investment competitions.

Dr. Loyhd Terrier joined the EHL in 2008 as Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior, before being promoted as Associate Professor in 2018 . He received a MSc in Work and Organizational Psychology and a PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Provence. He has taught courses in Human Behavior and Performance, Influence and Leadership, Organizational Psychology, Research Methods, Social Psychology, and Interpersonal Relations.

Mr. Heinz Wehrle is a hospitality professional and Registered Valuer recognized by RICS. In his role as a Visiting Lecturer at EHL Campus Lausanne, he imparts expertise in Hotel Asset Management, with a focus on hotel development and valuation. With a strong educational background and practical experience.

Patrice Dartevelle holds an MSc in Chemistry from the University of Kent and an MBA from York University (Toronto). He is a senior lecturer at EHL Hospitality Business School and teaches International services marketing, Corporate Strategy and Entrepreneurship. He is also a strategy consultant and entrepreneur and acts as advisor for start-ups.

Jean-Luc is an experienced Hotelier and Restaurateur with over 40 years of global expertise. He has held various roles in Europe and Asia, including as a Hotel General Manager and VP of Food and Beverage. In 2009, he founded JLF+ Associates, a company specializing in restaurant and bar concepts. He later joined Majid Al Futtaim Dubai as Senior Director of Asset Management. Jean-Luc is also an instructor and a respected speaker in the hospitality industry.

Vincent, a seasoned communicator and entrepreneur, brings over 30 years of diverse industry experience, blending sustainability expertise with high-impact corporate leadership. In his role as Global and Regional VP of Corporate and Sustainability Communications, he spearheaded major projects and introduced Thought Leadership initiatives, leaving a lasting impact on the business world.