Consultant Speak

Episode 6 - Alastair Warwick Interview

We spoke with Alistair about how his career working with horse racing started and how the industry has evolved during his time.  We also heard how he has dealt not only with the development of the industry, but also with major global events, including the recession in the late 2000’s. Alastair discussed his passion for understanding consumer trends and how he works to deliver world class customer experiences. He also spoke about his experience of working with consultants to drive forward business objectives and the value this has produced for the businesses he has managed.

Episode 5 - Lynn Bruines Interview

We spoke with Lynn about her full background across the hospitality industry. This included her early career roles based in hotels where she developed her expertise and enthusiasm for learning and development. This moved on to her time with HOSCO, before then setting up her own business, LB Business Agency. She discussed her core areas of focus in terms of technology, consulting and training. She also spoke about her passion for networking and how she is working to build up learning resources to assist others across the industry with this essential skill.  Host: Peter Russell [https://www.linkedin.com/in/prussell007/]Guest: Lynn Bruines [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynnbruines/] For further details on the online course referenced in the podcast on networking for hospitality professionals, click here [https://networkingforhospitality.com].

Episode 4 - Dr. Bjorn Hanson Interview

Our fourth episode interviews Dr. Bjorn Hanson, where we spoke about both the history and the future of the lodging industry. He shared some fascinating insights from previous downturns and times when the industry has had to recover from external factors.  He also spoke about demand segmentation and the shift to a more personalised approach, where hotels respond to the needs and preferences of travellers on a per stay basis. Finally Bjorn spoke about how hospitality education should be driven by the fundamentals of the industry.  Host: Peter Russell [https://www.linkedin.com/in/prussell007/] Guest: Dr. Bjorn Hanson [https://bjornhansonhospitality.com]

Episode 3 - Stelian Iacob Interview

Our third episode interviews Stelian Iacob who is Senior Vice President for Therme Group. In this episode, Stelian speaks about both the foundations of his life and of Therme Group. Key elements of this include his focus on innovation as a key driver of success and Therme Group’s desire to break new ground. Stelian also speaks about the importance of creating and managing strong teams of people to achieve these goals. Host: David Russell [https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrussellrp/] & Peter Russell [https://www.linkedin.com/in/prussell007/] Guest: Stelian Iacob [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stelian-simion-iacob-a263141a7/] Click here [https://www.thermegroup.com] for further information on Therme Group Click here [https://www.thermegroup.com/therme-group-and-russell-partnership-collection-launch-therme-rpc/]for further information on Therme RPC

Episode 2 - Heidi Anaya Interview

Our second episode interviews Heidi Anaya who is Head of Education for Russell Partnership Technology. This podcast focusses on simulation programs and how these are created, customised and utilised for teaching, training and development across the hospitality industry. Heidi also talks about online learning and how this has evolved our recent years. Host: Peter Russell [https://www.linkedin.com/in/prussell007/] Guest: Heidi Anaya [https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidianaya/] Click here [https://americas.hsmai.org/certification/certified-in-hospitality-business-acumen-chba/] for further information on CHBA as referenced in the podcast. Click here [https://eurochrie.org/news/get-involved-eurochrie-university-challenge-2021/] for further information on the EuroCHRIE [https://eurochrie.org] Challenge as mentioned in the podcast.