HSMAI Region Europe is pleased to announce the mentors of the HSMAI Region Europe Mentor Programme.
The HSMAI Region Europe Mentor Programme has been developed in close collaboration with many of our membersÊand advisors. We are happy and proud to announce that many of our very experienced and knowledgeable members have shown their interest in becoming a mentor in order to share their knowledge and give back to the industry. It is wonderful to see so many of you show your passion for developing others and willingness to share insights and experience with other industry professionals.
Whether our position is national, pan-European or global, in order to be successful and stay on top of the game we have to know whatÕs going on in the world. The changes in the industry are rapid, the market is demanding – and therefore it is more important than ever to be updated and to understand different leadership styles in order to succeed.ÊAll the mentors of our Mentor Programme have international work experience which we believe will greatly benefit the mentees.ÊThe programme is aimed at all ages and levels in the Hospitality Industry.
Each mentor will have one mentee. If you are interested in having a mentor, please fill out the application form you find here and we will share it with the mentor. If a mentor gets more than one application, we will select the mentee together with the mentor. As this programme will start in the end of September, we will need your application as soon as possible. Please mark on your application which mentor you would like to have if you could choose.
In addition to the help you can get internally, HSMAI wants to be there for you throughout your entire career. Many HSMAI members are now helping us launch this Mentor Programme and we would like to thank them for helping us make it possible to make a difference in developing other leaders and to give back to the industry. We believe that a pan-European Mentor Programme that works across different disciplines and companies within the Hospitality Industry is not only beneficial for the mentors and mentees personally and professionally, but also for their respective companies and for the industry as a whole. We are proud to enable this and look forward to seeing successful mentor-mentee relationships develop throughout the programme.
I hope you and/or your team members will find the below Mentor list of interest.
Warm regards,
Ingunn Hofseth
President & CEO
HSMAI Region Europe
HSMAI Region Europe is proud to introduce the following high level professionals as our first group of Mentors:
Richard Biggs
Senior Vice President – Revenue Optimisation & Distribution
Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group
Richard, a citizen of both Canada and the United Kingdom, joined the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group (formerly Radisson SAS) central support office team in October 2002 and has held various roles before his current position as Senior Vice President, Revenue Optimization & Distribution. In his current role, Richard is involved in a wide range of distribution and revenue optimization related areas as well as member of the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group Global Revenue Council (GRC). Richard is based in Brussels, Belgium.
Before joining the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group central support office team Richard worked in Sweden and the Middle East in both hotel and regional roles. While in the Middle East he changed not only countries (Kuwait to the United Arab Emirates) but also disciplines (Food & Drink to Revenue Management).
Prior to his Middle East experience, Richard completed an Apprenticeship for Cooking followed by Bachelor of Applied Arts (Hospitality & Tourism Management) at Ryerson University (Toronto, ON) in 1991 and joined the Canadian Pacific Hotels & Resorts Career Development Programme (Food & Beverage) at the Royal York Hotel (Toronto, Ontario, Canada). After completing the Career Development Programme in 1993 and a stint at the Canadian Pacific Hotels & Resorts Lodge at Kananaskis (Alberta, Canada) he left the hospitality industry only to return two years later as the Assistant Food & Beverage Manager at the Delta Chelsea Hotel (Toronto, Ontario, Canada).
Richard is also a member of the newly established HSMAI Region Europe Distribution Advisory Board.
Specialties: Yield Management, Revenue Analysis, Revenue Management and Revenue Optimisation, Distribution
See Richards LinkedIn profile here
Augustin Cacot
Director of Customer Success EMEA
Duetto
WithÊa strong a background from Revenue Management and Distribution, Augustin leads Customer Success out of Duetto’s London office and is passionate about proving the power of pricing with technology. He works with existing and new customers to elevate theirÊrevenue strategy and drive bottom-line growth. Augustin is based in London, UK.
Prior toÊDuetto Augustin was Regional Director of Revenue for the UK city center assets ofÊStarwoodÊCapitalÊmanaged by Principal Hayley, Four Pillars and De Vere Venues. He has also worked forÊConcorde Hotels and The Set Hotels in Revenue Management positions before that.
Augustin studied atÊEcole Hoteliere de Lausanne in Switzerland. He is also CRME (Certified Revenue Management Executive) certified.
Specialties:ÊPricing, Distribution, Revenue Management, Analytics, Management, Conflict Management.
See Augustin’s LinkedIn profile here
Janel Clark
Head of Consultancy & Education
SnapShot
Janel is a qualified hotel Revenue Management professional and trainer with a passion for hotels and a wide knowledge of Revenue Management, distribution and digital marketing. She is a confident and competent team leader with excellent communication and training skills and the ability to motivate and drive the team to success. Janel is able to demonstrate sound commercial and financial awareness. She is experienced in the 4*- 5* independent and chain properties in UK and international markets. Janel is based in London, UK.
In her current position as Head of Consultancy & Education at SnapShot GmbH JanelÕs responsibilities include developing and delivering educational products in association with academic and industry partners as well as introducing improved ways for hotels to make commercial decisions.
Janel has also delivered educational lectures to Masters and Bachelor students at Ecole de Hoteliere, Lausanne and ESSEC Business School, Paris, as well as been a guest lecturer at University of Surrey School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, and Edge Hotel School, University of Essex.
Additionally Janel isÊCRME certified and has been facilitating CRME workshops for HSMAI Region Europe.
Specialties:ÊTraining and Presenting,ÊMarket knowledge and experience, Revenue Management, Distribution, Communication
See Janel’s LinkedIn profile here
Ralf Denke
Vice President e-Business
Steigenberger Hotel Group
Ralf currently holds the position as Vice President E-Business at the Steigenberger Hotel Group. He is responsible for the entire online and mobile marketing and e-distribution for their brands “Steigenberger Hotels and Resorts”, “Intercityhotel” and “JAZ in the city” as well as for the transformation process into digitalisation within the group. Ralf is based in Frankfurt, Germany.
Ralf has work and study experience in Germany, Spain, UK and the USA. He holds two Master degrees – as Media Management professional (Bauhaus-University Weimar, Germany) and Master of Arts in International Administration (University of Miami, USA). Furthermore he had scholarships of the “German National Merit Foundation” as well as of the “Fulbright Commission Germany”. During his professional career Ralf has been focused on the online industry and hasÊheld several managerial positions. Before his positions atÊSteigenberger he was working several years for the Unister Holding AG.
Ralf is also a member of the newly established HSMAI Region Europe Distribution Advisory Board.
Specialties:ÊOnline Marketing TechnologiesÊand Instruments, Campaign Creation and Execution, Agile Project Management and Project Management Software, e-Distribution,ÊMarket Trends in Digital Transformation.
See Ralf’s LinkedIn profile here
Kai Holmberg
Partner
Digital Marketing Company Unfold
Kai is currently a partner in strategic design firm Unfold and runs the companyÕs startup investment arm Unfold Seed. Kai is an enthusiastic entrepreneur with 18 years of travel industry experience. Kai is based in Oslo, Norway.
KaiÕs entrepreneur background includes being the founder and CEO of a low-cost long-haul airline FEEL Air and software company in2. Furthermore, his executive background includes position of SVP at VIA Travel Group that was sold to Norwegian PE firm FSN Capital, as well as being the COO of Net Trans Services sold to US PE firm H.I.G. Capital.
Kai has been a member of HSMAI throughout his entire career, Êand due to his great facilitating skills he has been a moderator in several HSMAI events both on national and European level.
Kai is also active in the social entrepreneur arena working for organisations such as Streetlight and Bright Products, and has separately produced several fund-raising events.
Specialties:ÊStrategic Business Development, Turnaround Management, e-Commerce, Management Consulting
See Kai’s LinkedIn profile here
Juliet Howie
Global Director Strategic Accounts
NH Hotel Group
Juliet is a highly experienced sales and marketing professional specialising in the international hospitality and travel industry. JulietÕs successful career is testament to her ability to deliver impressive results whilst remaining focused on providing an exceptional standard of customer service. She is able to inspire teams and strategic clients to develop solutions and return on investment. Juliet is based in London, UK.
Juliet is an active member of the Hospitality and travel industry within organisations that include GBTA, ITM, HBAA and HSMAI Region Europe. In addition Juliet is a mentor for the Cherie Blair foundation for women in business, helping up-and-coming business women set up small to medium business.
Juliet’s current role at NH Hotel Group is Global Director of Strategic Accounts – a new position created to capitalise on existing partners and clients to ensure they work with a value proposition to both new and existing customers, developing senior level relationships and engagement. Prior to this position JulietÊwas Commercial Director Ð Global Sales Force for NH Hotel Group, managing a team of 25 responsible for the key feeder markets of UK, France, Nordics and USA. Other prior roles for the company included International Director of Sales UK/France and Global Director of Airline Sales.
Juliet is a strong believer in personal development and inspiring her teams to take a risk in order to grow and understand new business opportunities and gain market growth for the business and the team themselves.
Juliet is also a member of the HSMAI Region Europe Sales Executive Advisory Board.
Specialties:ÊSales Strategy, Value Sales Process, Visionary Leadership, Development of teams and talent match, Managing Partnerships
See Juliet’s LinkedIn profile here
Michael A. Leven
Volunteer Chief Executive Officer
Georgia Aquarium
A longtime industry leader and a Òhotel iconÓ, Michael is currently the Volunteer Chief Executive Officer of the Georgia Aquarium. He has an impressive career in hospitality with over 50 years of experience in top positions in hotels. Until 2 years ago Michael has been the President and Chief Operating Officer of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation where he leveraged his sales and leadership skills to turnaround the largest hotel gaming company in the world. His previous managerial positions also include the President and COO of Holiday Inn Worldwide and the President of Days Inn of America, as well as the Vice Chairman of the Marcus Foundation, a philanthropic organisation founded by Bernie Marcus, co-founder of The Home Depot, Inc.
Michael is a great supporter of HSMAI in the US. He has also been the past international Chair of HSMAI. In the US the HSMAI Leadership Day is named after him in honour of his extraordinary leadership skills and his lifelong commitment to developing the industry. Together with the Las Vegas Sands Corporation Michael made a generous donation totaling at $1.5 million to HSMAI in the US.
Michael is a co-founder of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) which now has over 7,000 members. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Tufts University and a Master of Science from Boston University.
Specialties: Leadership, Mentoring.
Michael often uses the quote ÒStatus Quo is a Prescription for FailureÓ
Brita Moosmann
Managing Director Germany and UK
HotelPartner Yield Management
Brita is a specialist in the Hospitality Industry, specialising in Revenue Management for F&B. Brita is passionate about Sustainability and incorporating the Triple Bottom Line as a business model for hospitality operations (especially Green Meetings). Brita is based in Hamburg, Germany.
Since 2013 Brita has been the Managing Director at HotelPartner Yield Management, heading the expansion of this swiss-based Revenue Management Company into Germany and the UK. Besides her role at HotelPartner, Brita is also a lecturer at Hotelfachschule Hamburg (Hotel Management School Hamburg) on the subjects of Revenue Management and Menu-Engineering. Brita has an MBA with Distinction from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.
Specialties: Yield (Revenue) Management, F&B Revenue Management, Menu-Engineering, Green Menu-Engineering
Additional Skills and Interests: Lifelong Learning, Project management, Sustainability, Sustainable food science (i.e. Slow Food)
See Brita’s LinkedIn profile here
sa Murphy
Owner & CEO
BizStrat
sa is an energetic and highly driven analytical business leader with great passion for digital channels and with extensive experience in online business management.
In January 2016 sa founded BizStrat AB, an advisory firm focusing on Travel & Hotel Distribution, as well as Digital Strategies across industries. By having a deep understanding of today’s fast changing business environment sa works with her clients to tailor the best solution for their organisations.ÊsaÕs current projects involve advising Hotels and Travel Companies in commercial strategies. sa is based in Stockholm, Sweden.
In her previous positions with Expedia and Nordic Choice Hotels she has been building up new business areas, built new teams, managed reorganisation, worked with change management, expanding the business with great success.Ê
sa is also a member of the HSMAI Region Europe Revenue Management Advisory Board.
Specialties: E-commerce, Digital Strategies, Travel and Hospitality Distribution, Digital Marketing, Strategic Business Development, Change Management, Revenue Management, Total Profit Management, Market Management
See sa’s LinkedIn profile here
Christopher Robinson
Senior Manager Global eCommerce & Digital Services – Europe
Marriott International
Currently leading a team of 5 client service managers in the new Marriott Digital services programme, Christopher is responsible for a total account worth of $2.6M across 155 hotels throughout Europe. With 15 yearsÕ experience in hospitality and 9 years in digital marketing he has proven success in achieving top line goals through developing online individual strategic and measurable digital strategies across a number of different markets.ÊChristopher is based in London, UK.
Christopher is an energetic peopleÕs person with strong communication skills both internally and externally with a focus on people development. HisÊKey Achievement in current role is exceeding budgeted programme value by $150K in the first 6 months.Ê
Christopher is also a member of the HSMAI Region Europe Digital Marketing Advisory Board.
Specialties:Êe-Commerce, Digital Marketing, Digital Strategies, Digital Activation of pre-opening hotels, Reporting and Analytics for Digital Performance
See Christopher’s LinkedIn profile here
Stan van Roij
Managing Director EasyRMS
Infor
Stan is a highly motivated and versatile executive who boasts a 20+ year career spent entirely within the hospitality industry Ð over fifteen of which were in managerial roles. He is a strategic business planner, accomplished spokesman and problem solver is a results-oriented, self-confident leader and communicator with great financial acumen and a global perspective. Stan is basedÊin Antwerp, Belgium.
A Dutch native and speaker of four languages, StanÕs education includes a Hotel & Catering Management degree with emphasis on Business Management. He has also completed various leadership and personal development programs, affording him great facilitation and training skills.
Prior to his current role at Infor Stan has worked in managerial positions in three major, global hotel chains: Marriott Hotels International, Radisson SAS Hotels & Resorts, and NH Hoteles.Ê
In 2011 Stan became Managing Director of EasyRMS, a leading provider of SaaS Revenue & Yield Management software and consulting services. As an operator, Stan gained many yearsÕ experience of EzRMSª – the Revenue Management System provided by EasyRMS. ÊIn 2012 Infor acquired EasyRMS to expand its hospitality software offering and added Infor EzRMS, to the Infor Hospitality Suite of end to end solutions. ÊStan continues his role as Managing Director for Infor EasyRMS.Ê
Stan is also a member of the HSMAI Region Europe Revenue Management Advisory Board.
Specialties:ÊRevenue Strategy, Pricing, Commercial & Overall Leadership
See Stan’s LinkedIn profile here
Terri Scriven
Industry Head of Hospitality
Terri is an industry expert and leader in both the Online Media and Travel industries, with over 16 years of consulting and industry experience. She has a solid balance of advertising industry knowledge, account management, relationship management, structured thinking and analytic experience to support GoogleÕs clients in reaching target audiences and to help them grow in the market. Terri is based in London, UK.
Prior to her role at Google Terri was the Vice President, International Projects at Sony Pictures Entertainment where she led transformation and operational improvement initiatives across EMEA to retain competitive advantage and to achieve efficiency in a challenged economic environment. TerriÕs background also includes the role of Senior Manager, Media Strategy at Deloitte where she led and managed complex growth strategy and strategy execution programmes for major travel, broadcast, publishing, and entertainment clients, with a specific focus on helping media clients navigate the changing digital media landscape.
Terri is also the Vice Chair of HSMAI Region Europe Digital Marketing Advisory Board.
Specialties: Digital Strategy, Digital Marketing, Online Advertising, Relationship Management, Programme Management, Operational Effectiveness, Corporate Growth Strategy, Strategy Execution
See Terri’s LinkedIn profile here
Morten Torp
Director of Sales and Marketing
Avis & Budget
Morten is an experienced leader with knowledge about all parts within the travel industry.ÊHeÊhas an impressive career havingÊpreviously been CEO of GONOW, CEO of DFDS Seaways Norway, Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing for Hurtigruten Group, Sales Director at SAS, Brand Manager for Berg Hansen agency, and Sales and Marketing Director for SAS North Cape Hotels. In the years prior to Avis & Budget MortenÊrun his own consultancy in management and sales training.ÊHe is keen to develop and support people around him and enjoys seeing them grow.ÊMorten is based in Moss, Norway.
Morten has aÊstrong knowledge of sales and marketing of strong brands. HeÊwas one of the key people whoÊwere behind the introduction of the new distribution and pricing structure of SAS, and was also responsible for the new global distribution strategy in conjunction with Hurtigruten restructuring in 2006.
Morten has been an active member of HSMAI throughout his career since the 90’s and is currently the Chair of HSMAI Norway National Advisory Board.
Specialties:ÊTalent Management, Business Strategy, Business Development, Change Management, Leadership
See Morten’s LinkedIn profile here
Paul van Meerendonk
Director Global Advisory Services
IDeaS
Paul leads a global team of revenue management and pricing experts who are focused on hospitality revenue optimization projects. During his time with IDeaS, Paul has successfully led several high-profile advisory projects including estate revenue management audits and roadmap development, function space revenue management, price optimization, revenue management service desk development, education and training development, and standard operating procedure development. Paul is basedÊin Brussels, Belgium.
Paul holds a Bachelors Degree in Commercial Economics from the Amsterdam School of Business, and is a certified Six Sigma Greenbelt as well as CRME. He is an active participant in a number of revenue management related associations including being the Vice-Chairman ofÊthe HSMAI Region Europe Revenue Management Advisory Board. Paul is a frequent guest speaker at numerous industry events and conventions, and regularly conducts global webinars on Revenue Management and Pricing topics.Ê
Prior to joining IDeaS Paul was Asset Manager with Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, working on various assignments in the UK and Europe on behalf of investors, banks and financial intuitions.ÊEarlier in his career Paul was a key member of the team that rolled out and developed Revenue Management within Europe and the Middle East for Starwood Hotels and co-designed an industry first on-line revenue management planning and reporting tool.
Specialties:ÊStrategy, Pricing, Leadership, Consulting, Analytics, Training, Forecasting.
See Paul’s LinkedIn profile here
If you wish to participate in our Mentor Programme as a mentee and on the list above you see a mentor who you believe would be a good match for you, kindly fill in the Mentee Questionnaire (download itÊhereÊand fill in pages 8-9) and send to Roksela at rm@hsmai.eu. HSMAI Region Europe will go through the mentee applications and contact applicants for more information if needed.
