Benoît Samson, CBO: On Networking, Recruitment and the Art of Experience Making

Mr. Samson joined Swiss Education Group 8 years ago bringing luxury hotel management experience and extensive networks from the industry. As a member of the Swiss Education Group Executive Team, he helps lead the development of the world reputation of the company through events, industry partnerships and by focusing on graduate careers and a strong international alumni network.

Before Swiss Education Group, what was your background in the hotel industry?
I spent 18 years working in the hotel business. I had the chance to be a part of a number of different 5 star properties across Switzerland and ran a small luxury hotel in Belgium for 5 years. During this period I became a member of the board of small luxury hotels represented across Europe where I developed a lot of relationships in the industry that I still connect with today.

How has Swiss Education Group’s relationship with the industry changed since you began 8 years ago?
When I first started, there were strong relationships between hotels and our individual schools. However with 7 different campuses spread across Switzerland, the industries were losing a lot of time travelling (often up mountains!) to see only a small selection of students. In 2009, I proposed the idea of the International Recruitment Forum, where the students from all of our campuses would travel to one centralized location to meet the industry. With this new set up, the recruiters could focus all of their attention on the important task of recruiting and not have to worry about travel and lodging logistics.

 

“Today the Forum has grown substantially and welcomes more than 76 Industry partners twice a year offering more than 1500 positions worldwide per event!”

 

How do you think recruitment trends have changed over the past decade?
I have seen a strong shift in the types of companies that are now recruiting hospitality students. In the past, recruiters were looking to fill traditional hotel industry roles but that is absolutely no longer simply the case. Today, hospitality students are recruited for opportunities around the world in very diverse fields. We have cruise lines, airlines, luxury companies and even banks joining us at the International Recruitment Forum to recruit our students and graduates.

Why do you think hospitality trained graduates are recruited for such diverse roles?
At the heart of our career preparation is service, humbleness, hard work and attention to detail.

 

“Our recruiters know that when they hire a Swiss Education Group graduate they are hiring someone that has been trained in the rare art of experience creation and bring enormous value to many different branches of a company.”

 

How has the International Recruitment Forum changed the education approach of the Swiss Education Group?
Twice a year we have the opportunity for face-to-face meetings with some of the top professionals in their field from well-known industry names spread across the world. I take the opportunity during the International Recruitment Forum to sit down with General Managers, Chefs, HR Professionals and listen to their recruitment needs and learn about their views on the latest trends in the hospitality industry. Our job is to prepare our students to meet the needs of the industry and we take care to listen In order to adapt our programmes accordingly.

What are the benefits for Swiss Education Group students in working so closely with the industry?
The hospitality industry is growing and changing at a rapid rate. Working directly with the industry means that Swiss Education Group remains at the cutting edge of what is happening today. To reflect this we have developed industry endorsed and aligned programs across our schools based on the relationships we have fostered. These include partnerships with Hublot, Four Seasons, Montreux Jazz Festival, Kerzner and more.

 

“These programmes are win-win because students have the opportunity to learn from current real-world case studies and interact with future employers. The industry benefits in their recruitment as they can detect and nurture from day 1 the talent we have in our schools.”

 

How do you see the International Recruitment Forum growing in 10 years?
The International Recruitment Forum has already evolved into a one of a kind platform that is unrivaled on an international scale. My vision for the IRF in the future is for it to become a place where innovative and out of the box recruitment processes can be tested and put into practice. I see a shift away from traditional interviews toward more informal and interactive settings that allow the industry to detect talent in diverse ways. It is extremely rare for so many top hospitality recruiters to come together under one roof and the potential is huge!