First hospitality job:
I was hired by ACCOR as a trainer for Formule 1 hotels in South Africa.
Age you started working in hospitality:
23
Your inspiration to begin working in hospitality:
Travelling!
My hospitality mentor:
Jean Francois Bourgois, the co-CEO of that ACCOR brand - we met for coffee while I was interviewing him for a business school paper and he asked me, "what are your plans for next year?" He hired me on the spot and I spent more than 20 years with the group - he trusted me, saw something in me.
What are your favourite aspects of your job?
The human relations, putting teams together, and the personal pleasure of helping create experiences for people.
What has inspired you to continue your career path in hospitality?
The traveling opportunities, the idea of doing something quite different every day...
Advice for students interested in a career in hospitality:
Be passionate about what you do, but don't waste your time if you aren't - life is too short to spend it at a boring job.