• Dr. Michael Cheng, Dean and Professor, Chaplin School of Hospitality and Management, FIU
    Oct 19 2024

    Dean Cheng shares his career journey and the important lessons he learned that enabled his success. We discuss the important qualities of a visionary leader, navigating a political environment and his general approach to challenges. Dean Cheng also offers advice to students, his younger self and personal empowerment.

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    31 mins
  • Amit Sripathi, Chief Development Officer, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Interviewed by Rachel Humphrey
    Oct 18 2024

    Amit discusses his path from engineer to CDO of Wyndham with the pivotal reset and opportunities in between. He shares his leadership evolution and the skills he's focused on developing in his own leadership style. Amit also discusses the role of mentors, his style of relationship building, and why the hustle and the grind are so important in career development.

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    32 mins
  • Zack Gharib, President, Red Roof Interviewed by Rachel Humphrey
    Sep 20 2024

    Zack discusses his journey from growing up in Lebanon to being the new President of Red Roof with various stops in between. He shares his personal mantra of 'people first' and his advice to his younger self to "trust in your path." Zack also talks about taking risks, curiosity, leadership, and the importance of attending industry conferences.

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    30 mins
  • Brian Barker, Executive Director, Alliance for Hospitality Equity and Diversity (AHED), interviewed by Lan Elliott
    Sep 10 2024

    Brian shares advice on finding mentors, cultivating champions, and what it takes to nurture those relationships. He explains how leading with kindness is a key factor in his success and how it can help young people distinguish themselves. Brian also shares what he wishes he had learned earlier, and the advice he would give his younger self.

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    29 mins
  • Susan Barry, President & Queen Bee, Hive Marketing, interviewed by Lan Elliott
    Sep 4 2024

    An entrepreneur by nature, Susan delves into how she approaches risk and why her tolerance for risk is getting higher. She shares the story of how she became an expert networker at a young age, and how she creates real connections. Susan explains why problem solving is key to distinguishing oneself, and why we can’t outperform our way to equity.

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    35 mins
  • Jim Burba, Co-Founder, Burba Hayes LLC, Burba Hotel Network (BHN), interviewed by David Kong
    Aug 21 2024

    Jim Burba, well known co-founder of Burba Hotel Network (BHN) and former producer of ALIS, HICAP and other industry investment shows shares his career journey and credits mentors such as Tony Marshall, Bob Hazzard and his partner Bob Hayes for their inspiration and encouragement for co-founding BHN and Burba Hayes. He offers tips from his book ‘Smart Partners’ on relationships and speaks to how his failures led to his success. Don’t miss his quote from Olivia Newton John on self-empowerment at the end.

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    29 mins
  • Zach Demuth, Global Head of Hotels Research, JLL Interviewed by Rachel Humphrey
    Aug 19 2024

    Zach shares his experiences with imposter syndrome and find out whether he's a risk taker or risk averse. He discusses his strategies for public speaking, how his curiosity drives him, and how he tries to combine his career and personal life in ways that provide him balance. Zach talks about his mentors, his mentoring, and his advice to his younger self.

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    31 mins
  • Heather Balsley, Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer, IHG Hotels & Resorts, interviewed by Lan Elliott
    Aug 9 2024

    Heather shares how her love for solving big, complex problems has led her to spearhead transformative initiatives within IHG, and she describes how she navigates cross-functional, multi-year challenges. She explains why having champions is critical the more senior you become, why public speaking is important, and how she crafts presentations that are both impactful and memorable.

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    35 mins