CONNECTION ALUMNI NEWS

ConneCtion alumni newsle Bouveret expands!who’s who at César ritz Colleges?JoBs, JoBs & more JoBs! www.ritz.edu

February 2011 | No. 47

What have we been up to in 2010?

Well for a start, one of the first changes is in your hands! How do you like the new look of the Connection Alumni Magazine?

César Ritz Colleges Switzerland developed a new communication concept to strength-en our position as an international leader in hospitality education and inspire stu-dents looking to make and advance their career in the global hospitality industry. In the range of new promotional mate-rial, you’ll discover the César Ritz pass-port stamp representing the combination of our core values – excellence, service, leader ship, care and innovation – and your career journey. And so, Connection also has a new look with the same sort of content you want: news about the school, pictures and stories of worldwide alumni reunions, success stories, updates from

your friends and happy family news.

In terms of other changes, in order to fur-ther develop our alumni and career ser vices, we enlarged the department. The Dir ector of Uni ver sity Centre César Ritz, Daniel Gutzwiller, has been appointed as the Director of Industry Relations responsible for all industry contacts as well as all César Ritz Colleges career and alumni activities; and Katharina Eyer has been appointed as the Career Services and Alumni Manager to work in close collaboration with our Career Services Manager, Trude Konrad, and myself. I’m sure that our dynamic team will continue developing alumni and career activities.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the alumni who contributed to the new César Ritz website and film (visit www.ritz.edu). While you’re online, please visit and register with the alumni database ‘NetCommunity’ by clicking on ‘Alumni’. And for jobs, don’t miss the Job Board that will provide you with job opportunities and the possibility to post job openings to attract qualified employees among our César Ritz graduates. You’ll also have online access to the Alumni Directory that will provide you with contact details of thousands of our graduates around the world.

I hope that you’ll enjoy reading this edition of Connection.

Stay in touch!

Michèle PatryAlumni Network [email protected]

The editors take every care in presenting the correct details at the time of printing but take no responsibility for contribu - t ions from third parties.

“Connection” is prepared for you by:César Ritz Colleges Switzerland1897 Le BouveretSwitzerlandTel: + 41 24 482 82 82Fax: + 41 24 482 88 [email protected]

Editorial management, productionand graphic design:Paul English/Heather DittmarEnglish Communications Pty Ltd4387 InglewoodQueensland, [email protected] by: Imprimerie Saint-Paul 1705 Fribourg, Switzerland

The People ‘n’ Stuff and Family News sections were collected by Michèle Patry, Alumni Network Manager, and Marga Cretton, Ambassador for Inter-national Relations.

Dear Alumni, please let us know your career moves and changes of address that can be updated online under www.alumninews.ch – User Login – Update Your Profile. Don’t forget to check our website regularly. This edi-tion and further news about César Ritz Colleges are published on our website: www.alumninews.ch

Cover photo: Inger Rimestad, Iva Vukelic, and Leda Bace during the Annual Alumni Reunion in Switzerland in May 2010

We would like to thank everybody who has contributed to this magazine, including our partner colleges, staff, and graduates. We’re looking forward to your future participation. The next “Connection” is scheduled for February 2012.

EDIToRIAL

CREDITS

CoNTENTS

Connection alumni news

Editorial 2

Campus News 3–7 Switzerland 3–6 Global Partners 7

Alumni Gatherings 8–9

People ‘n’ Stuff 8–15 Success stories 10–11 Javier Munoz-Calero Antoine Rajeh Katja Marshall Photo gallery 12–13 Updates 14–18

Family News 18–23 Weddings 18–20 Babies 21–23

2 | Connection alumni news | February 2011 | No. 47

Connection alumni news | February 2011 | No. 47 | 3

Invision’s new ownership guarantees the sustainability and further growth of the Colleges in the Canton of Valais and around the world. Mr Kisseleff’s health does not allow him to continue at the required rhythm for the future. Invision is the right partner for many reasons with more than 12 years of experience in running success-ful operations in different economic environments.

Mr Kisseleff and Mr Schwestermann will remain on the Board of Directors thus ensuring a smooth transition for the new management and ownership.

Extension at Professional Centre César RitzInvision also takes over the student accom-modation buildings Themis and Xenius (T&X) in Brig. César Ritz Colleges will make significant investments to enhance the qua-lity of education and further develop and

and sound systemA ultra-modern training kitchen•A high-tech demonstration kitchen •A pastry and baking kitchen•A production training à la carte kitchen •A production training facility for self •serviceA fitness room with professional-level •equipment and a view of the lakeA student café and lounge •

Naming CompetitionAnd what about a name for this new building? At the moment we use the name Bellevue 2 because the new facilities are connected to the Bellevue, however, we would like to propose a competition among students, alumni and staff to find a more original and attractive name.

So if you have some bright ideas, please send your suggestions by 25 March 2011 to Christian Konrad ([email protected]). A nice prize will be offered to the winner!

martin KisseleFF taKes retirement aFter 27 Years with César ritz Colleges groupMr Martin Kisseleff, President of the Board of U.C. César Ritz Colleges AG is proud to announce the change of ownership of the César Ritz Colleges Group, to Invision Private Equity AG, a leading Swiss Private Equity firm.

expand facilities for the students. 2010 has been the year to start major improvements to the facilities in the Le Bouveret Campus, especially for the Food and Beverage department, accommodation and student services. Construction of the additional facilities commenced in November 2010 and should be completed by October 2011. Mr Kisseleff and Mr Schwestermann will remain owners of all the real estate in Le Bouveret and have signed a long term rental agreement with Invision.

Here then, is an overview of what the new building will include:

One hundred deluxe single rooms of a •similar standard to the T&X rooms at Brig with a 120cm wide bed, WC and shower, TV, fridge, wireless internet and lots of working and storage spaceA student cafeteria for 200 students•An application restaurant (with Chef’s •table) seating 80–100 peopleA student club with professional disco •

CAMPUS NEWS | SWITZERLAND

Mr Schwestermann and Mr Kisseleff on the new construction site in Le Bouveret

Passing of Mrs Monique RitzIt is with great sadness that César Ritz Colleges bids adieu to Mrs Monique Ritz, daughter-in-law of the famous hotelier, César Ritz. Mrs Ritz passed away on 15 January 2011 at the age of 88. We will forever remain in her gratitude for her kindness and support. Mrs Ritz touched our hearts and the times we had the privilege of spending with her, will stay with us forever.

Diana Vicari George Cocker



who’s who and who’s new? FaCultY and staFF updates

Mr Ronan Fitzgerald has been appointed as Managing Director of César Ritz Colleges Switzerland. He took over management of the group’s activities in mid-January 2011. Mr Fitzgerald brings great experience in hotel mana-gement education. For the past three years, he has managed Hotel Insti-tute Montreux. With over 15 years of management experience in various fields, Mr Fitzgerald is someone who is highly skilled in managing people in an international environment.

2010 has been a big year for César Ritz Colleges and there have been quite a number of staff changes. After 22 years of dedication and loyalty, Hervé Fournier decided to leave César Ritz Colleges in December 2009 to begin a new orientation to his professional career. He is now working as Project Manager and Mana ging Director for Business Valais – Antenne Valais Romand for the State of Valais. Mr Fournier was a leading member of the management team and I would like to thank him for all his efforts.

With the departure of Mr Fournier, we decided to implement some organiza-tional changes within the company and appointed Christian Konrad as Director of Operations and Student Affairs, re - s ponsible for all student matters at both locations in Le Bouveret and Brig includ-ing all the organization and supervision

of accommodation, Food and Beverage and bars, student services, student activi-ties and facilities management.

While remaining the Director of University Centre César Ritz, Daniel Gutzwiller was also appointed as the Director of Indus-try Relations responsible for all industry contacts, as well as all César Ritz career and alumni activities. Mr Gutzwiller’s department includes the internship co-ordinators for the Swiss intraining place-ment and assessment. Within this depart-ment, Katharina Eyer was appointed in August as the Career Services and Alumni Manager to further develop those activities and now works with Trude Konrad as Career Ser vices Manager and Michèle Patry as Alumni Network Manager. In May 2010, the Director of Marketing and Enrolment Management, Jonathan Hilton, left César Ritz after 11 years of service.

Loyal service to students Diana Vicari has been teaching English, public speaking, French and humanities over the past 20 years (to around 8,000 students). Mrs Vicari has not only been a teacher of languages but also a life coach.

George Cocker joined the Brig faculty as a lecturer in law 15 years ago. Known to present interesting challenges in terms of subject matter, Mr Cocker continues to maintain the highest expectations from his students.

Thank you both for all your hard work and dedication.

I would also like to take this opportu-nity to congratulate Susan Fournier for her outstanding achievement of being elected Vice President of I-CHRIE. Mrs Fournier also obtained her Master of Science in International Hospitality Management with distinction.

On a personal note, I am happy to announce that Marcel Kisseleff is now working on special projects within the marketing de-partment together with his fiancée, Jenai oliveira, a BIB graduate and currently a work-study student in the MSc programme. Jenai undertakes projects in sales and pro-motes César Ritz in Brazil, her country of origin. Tanja Kisseleff Florenthal started as BIB Programme Director in October and her husband, Uri Florenthal, works as Area Manager for Spanish speaking coun-tries and specialized projects. I am proud to see my children and their partners taking such an interest in César Ritz Colleges.

César Ritz is a strong brand with an excellent worldwide reputation for producing profes-sional, entrepreneurial, efficient, disci plined and multifunctional graduates. This reputa-tion will continue to strengthen and expand and I would like to thank you, the alumni, for your success. I would also like to thank all the faculty and staff (present and former) for having prepared you so well, academi-cally and professionally.

Martin Kisseleff

The 23 students in Brig and 90 in Le Bou-veret coming from three Caribbean ethnic cultures provided the perfect case study. As part of the research, it was possible to examine their initial difficulties when con-fronted with a completely different world and, what is more important, the factors that helped them to understand and inte-grate into this multicultural environment.

The yearlong English language programme prepared the indigenous students from Panama for their Higher Diploma studies.

Now that the research part of the project has

Dear Alumni, Go back and remember your earliest ex-periences as an international student at César Ritz Colleges. Certainly you were excited at the idea of studying in a mul-ticultural environment and, I’m sure, you may have even wondered from which countries your new friends would come. But perhaps you also had mixed emo-tions: perhaps some anxiety, confusion or even a touch of homesickness. Now remember how you felt a few months later once you had settled in! What were those factors that helped you overcome your initial difficulties?

Because the internationalization of stu-dents is considered the greatest issue in high school this century (Seddoh, 2001), institutions and researchers are throwing themselves into relevant studies. Your school is no exception! In effect, we undertook research related to the inter-cultural integration and adaptation of a significant group of indigenous students studying hospitality management and culinary arts at César Ritz Colleges. The Panamanian government sponsored the study of the students.

ended, two international conferences have accepted this study with the subsequent findings being presented in Euro-Chrie, Amsterdam (25 to 28 October 2010) and in ’Primer Encuentro de Turismo Indígena de las Américas’ in Argentina (16 to 19 March 2011). The programme created by the school to help in the adaptation of these students generated some academic and social challenges, though for us, it was an honor to have the opportunity.

Virginia Meza MScLecturer César Ritz Colleges

Virginia Meza with students from Panama


That’s part of how Georges Ortiz recently summed up his 14 years of teaching at the University Centre César Ritz in Brig. According to George, “the contacts with colleagues, students and even the top management have all been a great human dimension to my work and many of those became friends.” George told us that he “learnt a lot while teaching, not only from colleagues and research, but also from students,” and that “it is very pleasant to read and hear about their successes all around the world and I feel proud thinking that I might have contributed to this success in a very humble way.”

“Humble but dynamic”, “giving a lot more than class room experi-ence” – these are just some of the comments showing how students have enjoyed the multiple nuances of Georges Ortiz’ personality and competencies. The management, staff and students thank him for his great contribution, which he describes as: “hospitality is service – good service is the pleasure to please”.

We are proud and pleased that Georges Ortiz received the Nestlé Pro Gastronomia Foundation Award to honor a professional who has demonstrated excellence in training, education and develop-mental work in the hospitality industry. This distinction was awarded to him during the EuroChrie Conference 2010 in Amsterdam. With our best wishes for his future, we hope that we will still see Georges from time to time in our Colleges.

the pleasure to please georges ortiz “Teaching at César Ritz Colleges has not been a job for me; it has been a great experience in human relations that has left me with so many joyful and happy moments.”

multiCulturalism studY



Professor John Swarbrooke and student Varvara Makarova

César ritz JoB Board

real proJeCts needed

Looking for a new job opportunity? Looking for qualified and motivated hoteliers? NetCommunity is the answer!

Not only does this platform facilitate career opportunities in the hotel and tourism industry but you can also post job offers in different fields.

If you’re looking for qualified staff – senior managers from the hospitality industry or management trainees – you can post the opening on the Job Board. This is free and only takes two minutes! Make sure you tell your HR department about this.

If you’re looking for the next challenge for your career, the Job Board gives you the opportunity to view job offers that are being communicated to the College.

All this career information is now availa-ble on NetCommunity, a secure platform linked to our online alumni database and only accessible to César Ritz graduates who are members of our Alumni Asso-ciation. This means that you’ll only reach qualified César Ritz alumni.

Many other options are available on Net-Community, including the online alumni directory, articles, photos of events, and dates of alumni reunions.

Take a minute now to register on www.ritz.edu – Alumni

To stay updated with all César Ritz Colleges alumni news, check out www.ritz.edu/socialmedia

Scan this barcode for further informationNeed a barcode reader? Download it on your smartphone from your appstore.Search keyword: barcode reader

Working on real projects for the industry is the best way to learn about how the industry works in reality, rather than just in theory. Do you have a project idea that could help our students?

We would like to appeal for help from our alumni to help our Bachelor students find good topics for their individual Industry

Projects (IP). As some of our alumni already know, these are re-search projects that are supposed to be of value to the industry. Students have to pass the IP to be able to graduate.

Unfortunately, some good students find it difficult to get the cooperation of people in the industry for one reason or another and this is a real pity for the students as these IPs can produce very valuable results for the industry. We are therefore appealing to all alumni to see if they have suitable IP projects.

What sort of project would constitute a good IP? Basically, it could be an issue or problem that you would like to see investi-gated or perhaps research that you would like to see done but haven’t had the time to do. The actual formal project lasts for eleven weeks but students can work on it for several months (or longer). All they need from you is access to the relevant data and you can be assured that confidentiality is guaranteed. Please help today’s students prepare for their future careers.

If you have any suitable projects, feel free to contact Tanja Florenthal, the Undergraduate Program Director, or myself to discuss your ideas.

John SwarbrookeAcademic [email protected]@ritz.edu


CAMPUS NEWS | GLOBAL PARTNERS

The European International College Hotel Management & Tourism (EIC) was established with a mission to provide world-class hospital-ity education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). To fulfill this mission, the EIC established an academic partnership with our very own César Ritz Colleges Switzerland. A memorandum of cooperation between the two institutions allows graduates of EIC’s two-year programme to transfer to University Centre César Ritz to complete a Bachelor of International Business over four terms. From the inception of this agreement, César Ritz has fully assisted the EIC by providing train-ing and consultancy services to its faculty and staff. This partnership has significantly contributed to strengthening the educational links between the two countries.

César Ritz alumnus Jin Deng (MSc 2008) currently works at the EIC as Student Placement Coordinator.

Binny VargheseTransferred from Jindal School of Hotel Mangement (JSHM) in India:“The school and atmosphere are both nice and the people very friendly including the faculty and staff who help make such transfers so smooth. All this goes to make a very good experi-ence. Plus, the exposure you get here is fantastic, not only in terms of placements but also in terms of the type of work. I worked for the UNWTO TedQual conference at Brig. Through these sorts of placements you learn so much!”

Usman Saleh Suri Transferred from the European International College (EIC) in Abu Dhabi:“It has been a great experience living among people from all over the world, understanding their behavior, learning how to interact and sharing a part of my life with them. It has been very uplifting for me in terms of my confidence and motivation. I have acquired a lot of experience at César Ritz and I’m sure my learning isn’t over. César Ritz and Switzerland have really given me the best experiences in my life so far.”

Martin Kisseleff congratulated the graduates upon receiving their diplomas from the International College of Management Sydney (ICMS) in collaboration with César Ritz Colleges Switzerland. Dur-ing the ICMS graduation ceremony on 15 October 2010 Mr Kisseleff gave the graduates some personal advice for lasting success:

“Do not choose a job but a career! Salary and title are not as impor-tant as loving your job because when you love your job, only then will you be motivated and perform in exceeding expectations”

“Care about your relationships – colleagues at work and loved ones at home – find a good life balance, care about your families and friends”

“Be better than your competitors, pretty good is not good enough, go the extra mile!”

go the extra mile! ICMS Graduation ceremony on 15 october 2010

Mr Kisseleff congratulating the winner of the Annual César Ritz award for Academic Excellence, Lisa Nussbaum

César Ritz and EIC students during the 2010 Career Development Trip to the UAE

eiC and César ritz partnership

Statements from transfer students Usman Saleh Suri (left) and Binny Varghese (right)


sKills and CompetenCies todaY and tomorrowMaintaining professional and ethical standards was identified as being one of the key competencies required by hospitality managers in order to succeed in today’s industry. This insight into the challenges within the hospitality industry was revealed at the César Ritz Colleges Switzerland Hong Kong Hospitality and Alumni Reunion held at the Hyatt Regency in Hong Kong, on 12 August 2010.

César Ritz Colleges’ Director of Teaching and Learning, Charles Hains presented the findings at the event where many senior man-agers from the hospitality industry were gathered. While the find-ings of the extensive survey conducted by César Ritz Colleges came as little surprise to those gathered, they did reinforce that the skills and competencies required by today’s managers have changed little than those of ten years ago: adaptability, embracing and managing change, people management, cultural diversity, strategic thinking, problem solving, multi tasking, and being customer focused. All also agreed that these skills and competencies will most likely change little in the next ten years!

The research also showed that the number of new employees needed in the industry is growing annually. “One general manager told us”, said Mr Hains, “that his chain will be recruiting 50,000

The alumni meeting of César Ritz hospitality students was held at the five-star InterContinental David Hotel in Tel-Aviv in october 2010.

Not surprisingly, four of our graduates just happen to work in the hotel. Among our alumni were a hotel chain owner, a vice president of a five-star hotel chain, front desk managers, a manager of a desert hotel, an expert in wines, a manager of food and beverage in hos-pitals, and many others with exciting positions. With more than 30 alumni participating, one could see the strength of the César Ritz alumni network, one that is a truly global network with connections all over the world.

Uri FlorenthalArea Manager

new staff in China alone in the next five years”. For the graduates of César Ritz Colleges, this certainly comes as good news.

During the event reception, Daniel Gutzwiller, the Brig Campus School Director in charge of Alumni and Career Services, Place-ments and Industry Relations, welcomed back many César Ritz alumni, all of whom praised the College for the skills given to them for their journey into hospitality management and other closely related industries.

Congratulations to Evan Chiu who was inaugurated as the new president of the César Ritz Hong Kong Alumni Chapter. All in all, the evening was a great success and a special thanks to those who attended including the seven César Ritz Colleges staff members.

ALUMNI GATHERINGS

la’Chaim! israel alumni meeting

25 Years! our malaYsia reunion


JourneY BaCK in time – Brazilian alumni Chapter launChHospitality alumni from César Ritz Colleges Switzerland went back in time during the launch of the Brazilian alumni chapter in São Paulo in September 2010. Cristhina Lima was elected President of the chapter.

“With graduates from both Le Bouveret and Brig attend-ing, so many stories were relived about the good old days as students in Switzerland. But it was the launch of the new chapter that took the limelight at the cozy and charming

Upstairs Lounge Bar of the Grand Hyatt Hotel where two César Ritz alumni are currently working in managerial positions.”

Cristhina Lima (grad. 2002)

In order to celebrate their 25 years of graduation and catch up with old friends again, a group of hospitality alumni who had studied in Brig and Lax between 1985 and 1987 decided to organize an event for their former classmates. All alumni from 1985 to 1987 were invited and about 40 people in total (alumni and families) ended up coming to be part of the happy crowd who came mostly from Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia.

The reunion was held from 25 to 27 June 2010 and the reunion dinner was on the Saturday evening. Lucky draw prizes were giv-en out as well as the major prize offered by César Ritz Colleges: a voucher for a round trip to Switzerland to attend the Annual Alumni Reunion in May 2011, inclusive of accommodation. The lucky winner was alumnus Chee Foo Low.

PEoPLE ‘N’ STUFF | SUCCESS STORIES

an ameriCan dream – antoine raJeh

Javier Muñoz-Calero graduated in 1999 from the César Ritz Hotel Man-agement Programme in Le Bouveret before following his passion for cooking with the Cordon Bleu School in Paris and the Royal Thai School of Culinary Arts in Chonburi, Thailand. Javier has worked in different coun-tries around the world and recently opened his own restaurant with a very special concept.

t.a.r.t.a.n. is the place to meet and be seen (ver y ser visto) in Madrid. It is also the place to enjoy Javier’s amazing culi-

nary creations. Javier realized the dream of having his own successful restaurant right in the heart of Madrid, so successful that it is always fully booked and he has to refuse many customers every night.

Since the opening in February 2010, the national and international press has regu-larly contacted Javier for interviews. Dur-ing these, he never forgets to mention that his success has been based on his studies with César Ritz Colleges. “Again and again, César Ritz is in my mind and in my heart,” Javier told us, and “I am so grateful to all of you and lots of love

from all the family.”

On a personal note, on 6 January 2010, Javier’s other big wish came true. He had wanted a son and received two when wife Marta gave birth to twins: Javier and Jacobo.

Javier Muñoz-CaleroSpanish, Hotel Management Diploma, 1999Ownert.a.r.t.a.n. restaurant, Madrid, [email protected]

Like most of the students enrol-ling in a hotel management school, Antoine Rajeh (Lebanon), wanted to become the general manager (GM) of a luxury hotel and not only a GM, but also one in the USA. Antoine’s César Ritz Colleges diploma was the first step towards achieving this ambitious goal.

After graduation in 2001, he set out on his ‘American Dream’. While working as con-cierge at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel, Antoine discovered that his true passion, and something in which he excelled, was in making a guest feel special. This he did so well while at the famous Setai Hotel in Miami and, later, at the W Hotel.

While becoming more experienced as a

concierge, Antoine also started to realize his entrepreneurial skills and it wasn’t long before he started to follow that potential. Today, together with his partner Kristine, Toni owns and manages the company Luxury Rentals Miami Beach, a company renting out hotel condominiums and pri-vate villas.

Asked what César Ritz Colleges brought into his life, Antoine says that he learnt the importance of “details, service, eti-quette and tradition”. “Most important of all”, said Antoine, “was learning about real professionalism and patience”. For Antoine, the time spent at César Ritz was definitely the key to bringing him to America and starting his business. “I truly thank César Ritz Colleges for the oppor-tunities that I received.”

”Again and again, César Ritz is in my mind and in my heart, and I am so grateful to all of you and lots of love from all the family.”

Antoine RajehLebanese, Hotel Management Diploma 2001Owner Luxury Rentals Miami BeachMiami Beach, FL, USAtony@luxuryrentalsmiamibeach.comwww.luxuryrentalsmiamibeach.com

Javier muÑoz-Calero


Having learnt to appreciate the details in service and customer care that the school provides in line with the philosophy of César Ritz, Katja developed a strong feeling for the well being of the guests and also discovered her passion for Food and Beverage. Benefiting from the international contacts César Ritz Colleges offered, Katja spent a few years with the Ritz Carlton Hotel Group at Amelia Island and then in Mauii, Hawaii. This was followed by several years in Arizona with Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.

Returning to Switzerland and a short time as Restaurant Man-ager at Mosimann’s Restaurant in Olten, Katja then followed her wish to get back to a more international career and started in 2006 as Assistant Food and Beverage Director at the Fair-mont Hotel in Monaco. When the position as Food and Beve-rage Manager at the Fairmont Montreux Palace Hotel became vacant, she applied for a transfer and today, fully enjoys this new and exciting challenge on the Swiss Riviera.

Katja is passionate about working in Food and Beverage and the enthusiasm she dedicates to her activities is based on the pleasure of working not only with people in general, but more especially, with the guests she serves.

What did she gain from César Ritz Colleges to successfully implement in her career? Katja says that besides offering her new international horizons, the College opened her eyes to details and the diversity of Food and Beverage. It also gave her the ability to recognize and look after the special wishes of each guest as a unique individual.

How does she cope with being in an area that is still mainly in masculine hands? According to Katja, that has never been a problem and she has always enjoyed doing what she was do-ing while gaining the necessary experience needed to move forward. This, she says, works out perfectly well – even in her private life.

Katja is the proud mother of a three-year-old son, Raphael, and lives with her life partner on the Swiss Riviera. Katja has, she says, a perfect symbiosis between motherhood and career with all the inherent challenges and responsibilities of being a Food and Beverage Manager.

Katja Ehrensperger – MarshallSwiss, Hotel Management Diploma (Le Bouveret Campus) and Associate Degree (Connecticut Campus) 1995Food and Beverage ManagerFairmont Montreux PalaceMontreux, [email protected]

It all started in Switzerland when Katja decided to take advantage of the international study options with César Ritz Colleges. Starting in 1993 at the Le Bouveret Campus, she transferred for her second year to the sister school in Washington, Connecticut.

Career and motherhood – KatJa marshall

Katja says that besides offering her new international horizons, the College opened her eyes to details and the diversity of Food and Beverage. It also gave her the ability to recognize and look after the special wishes of each guest as a unique individual.



PEoPLE ‘N‘ STUFF | PHOTO GALLERY

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1. Hotel Managers attending the 2010 Annual Alumni Reunion in Switzerland with Messrs Gutzwiller and Kisseleff

2. Kenya alumni reunion (June)

3. 2010 Annual Alumni Reunion in Switzerland (May)

4. Weekend ski excursion for the members of the alumni chapter in Bulgaria (February)

5. ITB alumni reunion in Berlin (March)

6. Dr Petri at the 2010 Annual Alumni Reunion in Switzerland (May)

7. Xi’an alumni reunion (June)

8. Oslo alumni reunion (September)

9. Grace Ngan-Mook with her family visiting the Le Bouveret Campus (July)

10. Portugal alumni reunion (July)

11. Alumni reunion in Vancouver (May)

12. Japan alumni reunion (March)

13. Will Allan with his family visiting the Le Bouveret Campus (July)

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PEoPLE ‘N’ STUFF | UPDATES

Prashanth Gurumurthiah (grad. 2004)“After my graduation (PGD in Hotel & Tourism Mgt), I gained hospitality experi-ence working with international chains in Zurich and England. Then in 2007, I had an opportunity to move to Dubai where I joined the Meeting and Events team at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek. In 2009, I moved to Corporate Sales and in June 2010 I was promoted to Regional Sales Manager of The Rezidor Hotel Group, one of the world’s fastest growing hotel com-panies. I enjoy working in this challenging position and travelling to many countries. I like living in Dubai which I believe is cur-rently the most dynamic, vibrant and excit-ing place to be.”[email protected]

Fabiana D’Angelo (grad. 1997) works as General Manager of ‘27 Hotelaria e Turismo Ltda’ in Brazil.“It is a small company being established in Brazil. We are building a 41-room charm hotel by the beach. As the two owners are Italian, live in Europe and only come to Brazil once a year, I am their administrator handling the project. In addition to that responsi-bility, I am teaching ‘Menu Engineering’ and ‘History and Culture of Brazilian Regional Cuisine‘ at a University of gastronomy.”

Fabiana is trying to reach all her PGD former classmates so if that is you, please send her an e-mail at [email protected]

“I like living in Dubai which I believe is currently the most dynamic, vibrant and exciting place to be.”

“We are building a 41-room charm hotel by the beach”.


Graduate personal news. Who’s doing what, where have they been and where are they now?

Claudia Doron-Zahner (grad. 1995) is involved in humanitarian activities. In line with the nonprofit foundation, Riv-ers of Hope, Claudia, her team and spon-sors support the project ‘CIPERFOOT – football is more than just a game’. They opened a football school in Sanga Mamba, a suburb of Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In Sanga Mamba, approxima-tely 500,000 people are thought to live in slum conditions where even basic needs like drinking water and electri city are barely met. Most children do not have the opportunity to attend school

so CIPERFOOT aims to get them off the streets and offers an education that they would otherwise not receive and possibilities for a future. Via football, children experience social integration, learn about health and hygiene as well as qualities like respect, tolerance and how to deal with anger, frustration and violence. We take advantage of the spe-cial power of football, to give children a chance to find happiness, discover their hidden talents, and for a few hours, for-get the tough reality in which they [email protected]

Philippe has been appointed Director of Food and Beverage of the five-star Al Murooj Rotana hotel in Dubai.

Philippe Harb (grad. 2001)Philippe has been appointed Direc-tor of Food and Beverage of the five-star Al Murooj Rotana hotel in Dubai. Originally from Lebanon, Philippe has 10 years of extensive hospitality exper-ience with specific expertise in Food and Beverage and had occupied vari-ous posts in other five-star properties across the Middle East. Prior to joining Al Murooj Rotana, Philippe was the Food and Beverage Manager at Al Ain Rotana. [email protected]

Claudia with her God-child Marina together with Carina from Don Bosco (on the left) and Sister Josephine (on the right)

“We take advantage of the special power of football, to give children a chance to find happiness, discover their hidden talents, and for a few hours, forget the tough reality in which they live”.


Stephan Kau (grad. 1997) is back in Brazil working for the Amadeus IT Group in Sao Paulo. Stephan met his wife, Fabiane, while studying at our sister College in Sydney and followed her to Brazil. After some years with Amadeus in Germany, Stephan, and Fabiane returned to Brazil with Felipe (four years old) and Sofia (two years). One of his colleagues is our alumnus, Fernanda Monasque, and this is how we got in contact again with Fernanda and gained a few new members for the Brazilian alumni chapter. [email protected]@amadeus.com

Avantikka Raghumandan from India (grad. 2010) was sponsored by César Ritz Colleges to attend the EuroCHRIE Conference.

During the conference that was held in Amsterdam in October 2010, Avantikka presented a paper based on her final year project ‘Agri-tourism in India – the poten-tial for sustainable development and eco-nomic growth’.

A small delegation from César Ritz Colleges joined over 200 other delegates from around the world. Avantikka’s paper received very positive feedback from the audience and many were quite surprised to learn this was an undergraduate project! We’re sure that this will not be the last time we hear from Avantikka and about her [email protected]

Alice Disch (grad. 1993) is successfully operating Alice Teaching and Translation, a very busy English language school located in the small Swiss village of Schwaendi. Besides translating and also selling language courses abroad, Alice is busy as president of an organization called EMBRACE, supporting young Mongolians in their studies. Why Mongolia? Because Alice taught English there a few years ago and was confronted with lots of intelligent and bright young Mongolians who did not have a chance of an education because of lack of money. So she decided to help and says that “it’s really rewarding and we have already given many people a start towards a better life.” [email protected]


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In loving memory of Wan othman Mohd Noor and Haji Rahman bin Abu Samah

It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of two of our former students, Wan Othman Mohd Noor and Haji Rah-man bin Abu Samah, both from Malaysia.

Wan Othman passed away on 15 Sep-tember 2010, due to heart complica-tions. He was in the Summer Batch 1984 and graduated in 1985.

Wan worked three years with Malaysian Airline System, Malaysia’s national airline (MAS). In 2006, he was Station Manager at MAS Brisbane and in mid-2009, he was back at the KL MAS HQ.

Haji Rahman (also known as Samah Raman Abu) passed away in November 2010 after a long illness. He studied in Lax in 1986 and his classmates will remember him as a jovial person who was always mak-ing fun. After graduating, he worked for some years running a restaurant in Japan with his uncle before returning to Malaysia.

Farewell to Heinz Javier ColbyIt is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our former student and friend, Heinz Javier Colby, who graduated from the Hotel School Zillwald in Lax in 1986.

Heinz was the Group General Manager of three properties in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney in Australia. He passed away unexpectedly from an undiagnosed heart disease condition on 27 January 2011 at the age of 48 years.

Heinz will be deeply missed by his wife, two children and many friends.

“It shows that the experience gained at César Ritz Colleges helps our students to apply their knowledge and cultural experience and adapt to any industry.”

omar Ghassan Ehssan Edilby (grad. 2002) “I obtained my PGD in 2002. It was a great experience both academically and socially. The skills and knowledge I gained during my time at César Ritz were greatly beneficial to my career. After graduation, I worked in some five-star hotels in Amman and Dubai, then I shifted towards sales and marketing. To my surprise, the skills and know ledge I received from the PGD were also very helpful in different industries other than hospitality. I am currently pursuing my career in hospi-tality education as a service instructor at a culinary school in my home country. So I am now the new Mr Ortiz of Jordan!”[email protected] Mr Gutzwiller, Omar, Sanjay Chib and Mr Ortiz at the Brig Campus in March 2010

Michael Museler (grad. 1997), Night Manager at the InterContinental in Hong Kong, writes: “It all started a year ago when my wife Monica was offered a po-sition in Hong Kong with her company to assist in a merger in which her bank was involved. We have always moved for my job but felt that this was an important career move for her and I knew that with my experience, I would be able to find a job in Hong Kong.”

And so he did and now they live not far away from Hong Kong in a nice town on

Lantau Island, close to the new airport. They found a domestic helper to look after their son Max and all is going well. Michael is in touch with the Hong Kong alumni chapter and was surprised to see so many former students working in various industries outside of the hotel business. It shows that the experience gained at César Ritz Colleges helps our students to apply their knowledge and cultural experience and adapt to any industry. The Museler Family wishes everyone the best and suc-cess in their travels and [email protected]

He was a consultant and celebrity chef for Adabi, a spice manufacturer in Malaysia.

Wan Othman and Haji Rahman will be missed. May they rest in peace.

Wan Othman Mohd Noor

Heinz Javier Colby


Mukarram Dadajonova (Mickey, grad. 2003) and Marcelo Castro Vera (grad. 2004) met when they were in Le Bouveret in May 2003 and have been together ever since. “We married on 22 August 2009 in the charming town where we live of San Miguel de Allende in Guanajuato, Mexico. It was a small, civil ceremony with 80 guests followed by a delicious, casual buffet lunch with excellent wines. The evening finished with a fun karaoke with our closest friends. The day was full of emotion and there were many kind words spoken by our loved ones. We chose not to do a typical wedding and went for a small, unique and a little quirky mood in purple and chocolate palette. I think we managed to pull it off!” [email protected]@realdeminas.com

Tanja Kisseleff (grad. 2003)Tanja and Uri Florenthal married on a special day: 01.10.10. They first had a civil ceremony with only close family members present and then a party with friends and family. “It was a small, elegant and fun wedding!”[email protected]

Several alumni have tied the knot since we last heard from them. Here’s a round-up with brief news about what the graduates are up to now.

PEoPLE ‘N’ STUFF | UPDATES FAMILY NEWS | WEDDINGS

Nicolas Tasiounis (grad. 1992). After almost 20 years of a successful career in the international hotel industry, Nicolas has changed his orientation and is now teaching at the Institute of Culinary Arts and Hotel Management in Santiago de Chile. “Nevertheless”, he says, “sometimes I miss the professional career after nearly 20 years of work”. [email protected]

Rahim Azad (grad. 1994), has a long and successful career with Serena Hotels in Serengeti, Mombasa, Zanzibar, Jaipur, Mozambique, and Uganda. He recently opened the Polana Serena Hotel in Mozambique as Hotel Manager. [email protected]

Tuomas Laakso (formerly Thomas Holtman, grad. 1997). After many years in an international career in operations and consulting, mainly in the US, Dubai and London, Tuomas has taken up a new challenge with Marriott International in Zurich as Director of the International Hotel Development – Europe. [email protected]

Wolfgang Bendl (grad. 2001). After some exotic experiences in Curacao and St. Lucia, Wolfgang is now back in Europe and has taken up the role of Financial Controller at The Augustine Hotel in Prague in the Czech [email protected]

Natalie Mik – Stadelhofer (grad. 2001) and her husband Joe moved from London to Geneva. Natalie is happy in her new life and enjoys her new position as Head of the Geneva Office of Alpine Homes [email protected]

Florian Kittler (grad. 2001) enjoys a new challenge in Shanghai where he is heading Portfolio’s Hotel Executive Recruitment Business as General Manager for Shanghai & Greater China. Worldwide, Portfolio employs over 50 consultants in the hospitality, leisure and travel industries. Florian focuses on senior appointments, like chief executives, general management and senior executive committee members. Having worked for five-star chains like Shangri-La, Mandarin Oriental and Hyatt, Florian gained significant hospitality experience in Europe, Middle East and [email protected]

Katja Beyer (grad. 2008) from China to Schwaben! Katja met the love of her life while working in China. She returned with him to Germany and enjoys working in a small town in the south of Germany for the Tourism Organisation of the Ostalbkreis in [email protected]

where are theY now?Graduate career news. What jobs have they had and where are they working now?


Liina Pikver Heffernan (grad. 2001) married Jim Heffernan“Our wedding day took place in the deep Värmland forest in Sweden, on 26 July, 2008. We were joined by friends and family from Sweden, Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Norway and Ecuador. Some very good friends from César Ritz were among those that shared this beautiful day with us: Julia Hacker (Gruber), Michael Rosenström and Maria Fernanda Hidalgo Rosenström and their daughter, Emma. We now live in Kristianstad, Sweden and I work at Kristianstad University. I am always happy to be in touch with old classmates!”[email protected]

Dima Musharbash (grad. 2006)“Every now and then the good old days cross my mind and I miss the great times we had at school and in the Tonkin and Student Bars! For those of you who don’t know, I married on 7 August 2009 to Saro Assayan with the wedding ceremony in St. George’s Cathedral. A lovely din-ner party followed with family and close friends, including my César Ritz classmate, Mira Lawn, who came from Beirut with her family to attend our big day. After gradua-tion, I pursued my education with an MBA with a focus on Marketing. Currently, I am the Assistant Marketing Manager for Jordan Insurance Company, one of the lar-gest insurance companies in Jordan. I hope we can always stay in touch and keep hearing the good news from friends and alumni from all over the globe.” [email protected]

Jess Jiyoun Choi – Fanelle (grad. 2000) “After completing my management train-ing at the Park Hyatt Chicago, I wanted to specialize in accounting and finance in the hospitality industry so I went to Hilton College at the University of Houston to do a Masters. After graduation, I worked as Assistant Controller at the Warwick Hotel, then as Controller at the Forest Club in Houston, then as a Controller at the Oak Hills Country Club in San Antonio, Texas where I have now been working for the last three and a half years. During this time, I undertook another Masters in accounting at the University of Texas. Currently, I am in the process of becoming a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

I’ve learnt so much at César Ritz and also met so many great people. The experi-ence made a great impact on my life and I really cherished every moment. I always wanted to somehow share my student life with my partner and I did during our honeymoon during a visit to Brig. My husband’s name is Frank Fanelle and we were married on 6 March 2010. Frank is a wonderful person with a huge heart and works in the pharmaceutical industry.”[email protected]



Violeta Dimitrova-Salama (grad. 1999)Even though Violeta, originally from Bulgaria, was married two years ago (and now has a baby girl, Isabella), we are delighted to share her happy news.“My husband Magdy and I met upon my return to Egypt after I had spent seven years living in the UAE. We were married in 2008 in the picturesque town of Split in beauti-ful Croatia. We are now settled in Cairo where I work as a publishing executive for the Egyptian Chefs’ Association.”[email protected]

Katharina Darisse (née Rutz, grad. 2004) and her husband Julian met in Beijing where Katharina was working for Kempinski and Julian for Shangri-La. Being Canadian, Julian did not speak German but learnt one sentence to pro-pose to Katharina! He must have said it correctly because her answer was a definite ‘yes’. The wedding took place on 3 July 2010 in Katharina’s hometown of Egestorf, near Hamburg in Germany, with Julian’s family from Canada and lots of friends from all around the world. “We were very grateful to have so many friends celebrate this very special day with us and we even had guests from China! Also my best friends from my César Ritz time joined the wedding weekend and that made it extremely special: Barbara Kahl, Margarita Sannikova, Vanja Lind-say (née Kranjec) and Katharina Franz. Lubna Ali was dearly missed by all of us as she was nine months pregnant at the time and couldn’t travel. After spending our honeymoon in a beautiful old castle close to the Baltic Sea in Germany, we returned to Shanghai and have been enjoying married life.”[email protected]

Mirasari Halim (grad. 1992)“My husband Ridwan Judhianto and I married on 14 February 2010 in Jakarta. It was a nice and simple wedding. I’m still running my own business called ‘It’s Brownies Time by The Cookie Lady’ and specialize in brownies and cookies. Besides that, I am also running ‘pernik [aikon!]’, that specializes in a natural material used in handcrafts.”[email protected]

FAMILY NEWS | WEDDINGS

Elina Murina from Russia (grad. 2009)“I was married on 2 October 2009 to Laurent Damasse and we have been liv-ing in Algiers for the past two years due to Laurent’s work. We are planning to stay two more years until the end of his contract. I would like to send my kind regards to all my wonderful professors and amazing friends!”[email protected]

Although Belén Gallo-Martinez (grad.1997) and her husband, Joaquin Batanero, celebrated their marriage already in 2006, we would like to share their wedding photo together with the information that the happy couple now lives in Mallorca where Joaquin is working at the Sol Meliá headquarters in charge of the openings of Sol Meliá hotels. [email protected]


Lubna Ali Rahman (grad. 2004)Leen Adnann was born in Amman, Jordan from the love of Lubna and Adnann. Lubna writes: “we welcomed our baby daughter into the world on 6 July, 2010 and she re-ally is our little ray of sunshine.” Lubna has been working with the César Ritz Colleges team as the Director of Regional Develop-ment for the Middle East Region since Au-gust 2009. She was very excited to assume this new job and responsibilities and get back in touch with the César Ritz family [email protected]

Sabine Achkar and Philippe Abou Jaoude (grad. 2004)“Our life has new meaning since we became the proud parents of our first daughter Tiffany, born on 21 May 2010 in Laval, Canada. Our bundle of joy made our life busier but definitely more gratifying and momentous. Despite Philippe’s busy schedule in his restaurant and my new appointment as Coordinator for the Le Cordon Bleu programme in a reputable university, we always manage to spend some quality time with Tiffany.” [email protected]; [email protected]

Alexander Schillinger (grad. 1995)Born on 25 December 2009, Annabel made a happy Christmas entrance into the lives of her mum Genie and proud fa-ther, Alexander who is currently working as Director of food and beverage at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Bangkok. [email protected]

Violeta Sanchez Dakovic (grad. 2000), sent this lovely photo of her little daughter Amalia, born on 30 April 2010. Violeta writes: “I was living in Cancun, Mexico for the past two years, married Jorge Sanchez Rovirosa Sanchez and just recently moved back to the UK. In Cancun, I worked as a store deputy manager for Groupo Ultrafemme, a luxury retail company. At the moment, I am in the process of starting a new job back in London.” [email protected]

Tina Asamoali-Dammenhayn (grad. 2002) lives and works with her husband in London. They wish to proudly announce the birth of their daughter Naomi who entered their lives on 12 January, 2010. [email protected]

Several graduates have welcomed new arrivals. The César Ritz family wishes them a lot of happiness and joy in their personal lives and success in their professional lives

Flor Berman (née Molina, grad. 2007) from El Salvador“I married a little more than two year ago and now live with my family in Hoboken, New Jersey, near Manhattan. We are the proud parents of Alyssa Marina, now two years old. I’m currently doing a Mas-ter in Education and, hopefully, will be graduating next year. I’m also working as a language teacher in some New York City public schools. Achieving a Masters is an important step in my career and it is all possible thanks to the outstanding teachers I had at César Ritz. I always keep everyone from Brig very close in my thoughts and as a source of inspiration.”[email protected]

FAMILY NEWS | BABIES & FAMILIES


Veronika Ganz (née Schwarzmayr, grad. 1997), her husband Dave and little son Leopold, are extremely hap-py about the birth of Florentina, born on 19 November 2009 in St. Gallen, Switzerland. [email protected]

Constanze (née Minten, grad. 2001) and Boutros KhalilKhalil Daniel arrived like a Christmas present in the life of Constanze and Boutros on 21 December 2009. He added 3.6 kg worth of new happiness to their busy life. Constanze is back running The Americas Operations for IFH® – Institute for Hospita-lity Management and conducting training in U.S. and South America for hotels as well as managing the team of Mystery shoppers and callers. Boutros joined Hojeij Branded Foods as Director of Operations for the Washington D.C. area. This is one of the leading airport concessions companies and run restaurants at airports throughout the U.S. [email protected]@ritz.edu

Kristian Gundersen (grad. 1994)“We are back in South Africa after three years in Chile but with an addition to the family, our son Neo who was born in Santiago de Chile on 5 May 2009. The Hotel and Casino project (Monticello) was completed but suffered some damage after the earthquake in February, hence I was asked to stay on and supervise the repair and construc-tion works. It has since opened and is trading well. I am back at the Head Office of Sun International Manage-ment Ltd. in Johannesburg as Develop-ment Manager.”[email protected]

FAMILY NEWS | BABIES & FAMILIES

Simone Harms (née Mueller, grad. 1997)Another happy mother working with the Fairmont Hotel Group is Simone Harms, Director of Operations at the Fairmont San José. Her daughter, Zoe Hannilisa, was born on 17 May 2009. [email protected]

Adalheidur Hannesdottir (grad. 2005)Viktoría Dögg arrived in the lives of Heida and Gummi on 23 June 2010 on her mother’s birthday! Kristófer is very happy to have a little sister to look after! [email protected]

Angel Lobo has been promoted to GM within Sol Melia Hotels & Resorts. His challenge now is to open the first Innside by Melia hotel outside Germany, (open in April 2011) in Barcelona. Here Angel is with Marco, his six-month-old [email protected]

Marie Kristiannsson-Bchara (grad. 2001) enjoys spending time with her boys four year old Yakoub and eight month old Noah. The family is still living in Dover in the UK but might be moving back to Sweden. [email protected]


Heike SchnellLittle Margarita is the newest addition to Heike’s family. She was born on 13 Sep-tember 2010. Just like her young family, Heike’s London based yoga and lounge-wear company, Wellicious, is also growing. Wellicious is selling in over 100 exclusive spas, hotels, and yoga and pilates studios [email protected]

Christina Wieland, (née Mika, grad. 2002), writes about her son Philip, born on 2 December 2009: “he is a great boy who gives us lots of joy while we watch him grow, is very active and tries to eat whatever he finds on his way.” [email protected]

Trude Konrad (née Gulbrandsoy, grad. 2003) and Christian Konrad“Greetings from Switzerland! 2010 has been a very special year for us. After being a couple for over eight years, we finally decided to make it official and on 13 March became Mr and Mrs Konrad. Three months later, on 24 June, our lovely little daughter Sophia Michelle was born. Christian also changed his job this year and is now Director of Operations for both Campuses in Le Bouveret and Brig. A great responsibility with a lot of chal-lenges and one that he really enjoys.” [email protected]

Tarsila Fercher-Geis (grad. 2003) and Matthias Geis (grad. 2005)Hannah is the name of the little girl who entered this world on 21 September 2010 and added a new touch of happiness to the lives of her grateful parents, Tarsila Fercher-Geis and Matthias Geis. [email protected] [email protected]

Simona Ritter (grad. 2001) and Mihai Tudoran are the happy parents of Ana Emilia, born on 29 September 2009. As stu-dents at Le Bouveret in 1999, one Swedish and the other German, they soon found out that they both had Romanian roots. Following the completion of internships in Geneva, they went their different ways: Simona continued in Brig before mov-ing to the UAE, while Mihai transferred to our sister school in Australia and then moved to Spain and changed from hotel management to sports management and a Masters at the FIFA university. After five years with Radisson Blu and speaking Romanian, Simona was sent to Bucharest to be part of the opening team of the new Radisson Blu. She checked for friends in Romania and got in touch with Mihai! They met during César Ritz alumni reun-ions and then became a couple and their happiness became complete with Ana Emilia. Simona is still on maternity leave from being Director of Sales and Market-ing at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and Mihai is a licensing and event manager for the marketing agency for the Romanian Foot-ball [email protected]

Bjoern C. Loesch (grad. 2002) and fian-cée, Anne-Kathrin are thrilled to an n ounce the birth of their first son, Maximilian Christoph born on 27 July, 2010 in Lucerne, Switzerland. “We’re very proud and happy, and thank God for our healthy son”. [email protected]

César Ritz Colleges SwitzerlandAlumni Office1897 Le Bouveret, SwitzerlandTel. +41 24 482 82 82Fax +41 24 482 88 [email protected]

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