Where are they now?

Bachir Sanhaji graduated the IMHI program in 2011 and since, has gone on to achieve great success in the field of revenue management in France and Singapore. We had the opportunity to speak with Bachir and ask him about career after ESSEC Business School.

1. What were you doing before the MBA and why did you decide to come to the ESSEC MBA program?

Before joining the ESSEC MBA program, I was working as a Yield Management Assistant at the Ritz Paris. I  joined Ritz Paris right after graduating from a SHA / BBA diploma at Les Roches Swiss Hotel School.

2. Please describe your career path since graduation. What is your current position and responsibilities?

I joined Accor and Novotel right after my graduation as a Revenue Manager in one of the Novotel Flag Ships in France, the Novotel Convention & Wellness, 295 rooms and 1200 sqm of meeting space in Paris CDG Airport. Back then, I was in charge of implementing revenue management tools, strategies, processes as well as managing distribution and reservation department. This first experience was I believe a fast learning track as an Airport Hotel with Convention Center offers typically all the different segments that a hotel can possibly have.

After 2 years, I was given the opportunity to take over the second Novotel in Paris CDG Airport. I held this “cluster” position for the two Novotel units for another year.

Since then, I have moved to Singapore as Cluster Director of Revenue and Distribution for the 2 Sofitel units in the area.

3. What in particular in the MBA in Hospitality Management IMHI program helped you prepare for your career path or qualify you for your current position?

In my opinion, I would say that the most important thing is learning to work as a team. In the work place, we cannot be in charge of everything, and we need to be able to delegate tasks to others, or even to rely on others. With the number of group projects, the ESSEC MBA in Hospitality Management teaches us that.

Another particularity is that the MBA trained us to work hard, not as a sprinter, but as a marathon runner. One of the most famous saying at ESSEC MBA in Hospitality Management is "Work Hard, Play Hard."

4. What is your best memory from your time in the ESSEC MBA program?

Graduation is definitely the best memory. My emotions were mixed between satisfaction of graduating after 2 hard years, and excitement to get down to business.

5. What advice would you give to current students in the program?

Take most out of the program. ESSEC MBA in Hospitality Management allows us not only to follow MBA courses, but also courses from the ESSEC business part. There is a lot to learn! Work with your classmates, as this is what you will be doing once in the work place.

Where are they now? - Matthias Geoffroy

Matthias Geoffroy graduated from the MBA in Hospitality Management IMHI program in 2010. We had the opportunity to catch up with him to see what he has been up to after completing the MBA journey at ESSEC School of Business.

What were you doing before the MBA and why did you decide to come to the ESSEC MBA in Hospitality Management program? 

Prior to joining IMHI, I was working as a Guest Relations Manager for IHG in Shanghai. A friend who graduated from IMHI highly recommended that I join the program. I also thought it was now or never to go for an MBA and I thought it would be a great opportunity to expand my network and knowledge in order to get a boost in my career.

Please describe your career path since graduation. What is your current position and responsibilities?

I was in Shanghai 5 years as a Revenue Manager and Cluster Revenue Manager for IHG and Hilton Worldwide. I decided to make move on my next role in a new market, Dubai, as Cluster Director of Revenue for Rotana Hotels and Resorts.

What in particular in the MBA in Hospitality Management IMHI program helped you prepare for your career path or qualify you for your current position?

I think there are way too many factors to take into consideration but the main ones that stand out are the following:

• I did the apprenticeship which definitely helped me apply what I was learning during my MBA at work
• The quality of teachers who are experts, passionate and real professionals
• The workload helps you to quickly understand that in order to be competitive you need to able to take more
• Last and not least all the friends that you make during your class as you are mostly working in groups projects

What is your best memory from your time in the ESSECMBA program?

The beginning and the end! The middle is just a tough journey. The graduation is probably one the most cherished memories that I have. Seeing all your friends graduate after all the hard work and being able to finally enjoying all the success together was great. 

What advice would you give to current students in the program?

Remember why you are doing your MBA and learn as much as possible. Build strong relationships, challenge the status quo and most importantly be passionate about learning!

Where are they now? Interview with alumnus Christophe Hobeika H12

Where can an MBA in Hospitality Management from ESSEC IMHI take you?
 
Christophe Hobeika H12, Assistant Marketing Manager at Madinat Jumeirah Resort in Dubai, shares his experience:

1) What drew you to work in the hospitality industry and study with the ESSEC MBA in Hospitality Management (IMHI)?

Since I was a kid, I have always been attracted to food and restaurants. I wanted to become a Chef and, with time, discovered that hotels were actually a space where I could picture myself quite well. I then decided to pursue my studies in hospitality and work at the same time in an apprenticeship. After my BTS (French undergraduate degree) I wanted more: more educational challenges, greater depth, and a degree with a great reputation. That's why I picked the ESSEC MBA in International Hospitality Management. Or it picked me, I don't really know. :)

2) Please describe your career path after IMHI? What is your current role and its responsibilities?

Before IMHI, I was pursuing hospitality studies with an apprenticeship scheme. I first worked in Operations for 2 years (front office) in independent Parisian hotels and 1 year in Sales and Marketing, followed by 3 months at the InterContinental London Park Lane. Following this experience, I joined IMHI.

After IMHI, I went straight back to the UAE, where I had previously completed a 6-month internship at the InterContinental Abu Dhabi during the MBA. I loved my time there and was eager to get a position in one of Dubai's top performing hotels. I landed at Madinat Jumeirah, the Arabian Resort of Dubai, part of the Jumeirah Group, which represents close to 50% of the entire UAE portfolio (9 hotels). I took a step down in order to get in and started as Marketing Communications Executive. After 6 month in the job, we started talking about the next step. One year later, I was promoted to Resort Assistant Marketing Manager and I am now in charge of the entire digital srategy of the resort, as well as marketing campaigns for the resort’s entertainment/lifestyle side (Madinat Theatre, Madinat Amphitheatre, Talise Fitness, Sinbad's Kids Club and our private beach). For full details, you can see my LinkedIn profile.

3) Was there anything in particular about the ESSC MBA in Hospitality Management (IMHI) that helped prepare you for your career path or qualify you for your current position?

Given the rapid evolutions taking place in the hospitality industry, some of the specific information you studied at IMHI may have changed only two years later...  But the way the professors make you think and challenge you will stay with you for life.  This is what I value about my experience at IMHI. I am now able to take very quick business decisions because things just make sense to me. I always justify everything I say, which is highly appreciated in the business environment and supports whatever actions you take.

4) What advice would you give to current students who preparing to enter the job market, or who are undertaking their internship?

It's extremely easy when you study at IMHI to forget that you are still young and have yet to prove yourself in a very competitive market. It's great to believe in yourself, but you have to give yourself some time to grow. Look for a strategic position for your internship, something that will prepare you to grow quickly once you join a new company. It's okay to step down in order to move up. Patience is key.

5) What is your favorite memory from IMHI?

The people you meet, be they students, professors or industry leaders, are a great opportunity. IMHI is a multicultural program and the people there are just amazing; I’m glad to call many of them my friends.

What competencies are needed to succeed in the hospitality industry?  Download the white paper "Aiming for Excellence in the Fast-Growing Hospitality Industry" by Professor Nicolas Graf, Academic Director of the MBA in Hospitality Management (IMHI).

Download the MBA in Hospitality Management (IMHI) Brochure

Where are they now? An interview with alumnus Antoine Berberi H88

Antoine Berberi H88

Where does an MBA in Hospitality Management from ESSEC take you? Over the following months, several alumni will answer this question by sharing their stories on the MBA blog!

Antoine Berberi (H88), Area Managing Director of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel (a Thompson Hotel) in Los Angeles, shares his experience.

What drew you to work in the hospitality industry and study with the MBA in Hospitality Management?

I had just finished my undergraduate studies (BS) in the US, and majored in Business/Marketing. I was looking for a graduate program to get my MBA. By chance, I met a first year student of IHMI in Paris (while I was visiting my sister), and he mentioned the new school (IMHI) which was a joint program with Cornell/ESSEC and suggested that I go and meet the current director, who was at the time Paul Beals. Basically, after I ended up spending the entire day on the ESSEC campus meeting with Paul Beals and other students, I was encouraged to apply while there and go back and start working in the hotel industry since the school required a 2 year minimum hotel experience. In other words, I credit Paul Beals for convincing me that the hotel industry was an industry that I would enjoy, and my two years at IMHI confirmed that to me. And the rest is history...

Could you describe your career path after your graduation from ESSEC? What is your current role and responsibilities?

I was one of the few students who was interested in hotel operations, and I was lucky enough to be hired by Hilton International as a corporate trainee (the company had visited the campus and I was retained from those interviews we had at the school). As I had an American passport, I was sent to Washington DC to work at the Hilton property there. Less than two years later, I was promoted to Reservations/Yield manager at the Hilton in Toronto. A few years later, I was promoted to Front Office Manager in Eastern Canada. I then moved to InterContinental Hotels where I spent 12 years, starting in New Orleans as FOM, Miami as Director of Operations, Bali as Executive Assistant Manager, Dubai as Resident Manager, and Abu Dhabi as General Manager. I then moved back to the US where I managed the renovation of a Westin in New Jersey. Then I decided to go with a smaller luxury lifestyle and boutique hotel company, so I joined Thompson Hotels in New York City, where I opened several hotels. Then I was transferred to Los Angeles to manage the Thompson in Beverly Hills and then moved again to my current hotel, the Hollywood Roosevelt (also a Thompson Hotel). Currently, I am an area managing director managing the largest asset in the company and overseeing a number of small properties in the area. Thompson Hotels merged with another company, and a third company was formed (Commune Hotels and Resorts), with close to 50 hotels.

Was there anything particular about the MBA in Hospitality Management that helped prepare you for your career path or qualify you for your current position?

Actually, most of my classes were relevant to my career, although not so much early in my career. Because it is a post-graduate program, the classes were geared less towards specific operational subjects and more towards macro and strategic subjects. One of the courses that we took was actually extremely important and probably critical to our success, and that was the Ethics course. We learned to deliver quality work under pressure and to work together with people from various backgrounds and nationalities as teams, which prepared us to get into this industry, which is always stressful and requires good people skills and flexibility....

What advice would you give to our new students just entering the program? What advice would you give to our new graduates who are beginning their job search?

Be patient and take your time to learn the business. You must be able to be mobile and flexible. There is a lot of competition out there, and for the first few years of your career (regardless of what direction you take and if it is operational or not), you must build your reputation (hard work, ethics, flexibility and caring for people). It is the only thing that will carry you forward. It is a very small industry and everyone knows everyone else. A CEO once told me and found it to be very true: Don't follow money, let money follow you!