Tag: Sommet Education

Education

Sommet Education to double its global footprint

Apr 21, 2021 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #Invictus Education Group, #Sommet Education

With the acquisition of the Invictus Education Group, a leading private education and training operator in South Africa

New Delhi – April 21st, 2021 – Sommet Education, the worldwide network of first-class higher education hospitality and culinary arts schools, together with Invictus Education Group, South African leading private education operator, are happy to announce that Sommet Education is acquiring a majority stake in Invictus Education alongside its historical shareholders. With this acquisition, Sommet Education is doubling its worldwide footprint, bringing the number of its campuses worldwide from nine currently to seventeen and student number from 6,000 to 9,000 students. The signing marks the start of a rapid expansion plan in South Africa and further pan-African developments.

Expansion strategy spurs growth

Sommet Education continues to consolidate its position as the leading network in hospitality education. After the acquisition of École Ducasse in 2019, the acquisition of the Invictus Education Group represents a new step forward for Sommet Education which is doubling its worldwide footprint bringing the number of its campuses worldwide from nine currently to seventeen and from 6,000 to 9,000 students. Sommet Education’s strategy leverages on expansion to support its growth through various types of opportunities, from acquisitions of local and regional hospitality education brands to investment in adjacent business lines or asset-light models.

On the occasion of the signing, Sommet Education CEO Benoît-Etienne Domenget commented: “Invictus Education Group is an amazing success story in the African education landscape. With a 25-year history on the continent, a diverse portfolio of hospitality education institutions, a very strong digital program portfolio, a highly experienced team and a robust management, a national footprint and strong pipeline, Invictus has the potential to further carry all our ambitions in the region and beyond.”

Strong development outlook

Together, Sommet Education and Invictus Education plan to develop additional campuses for the International Hotel School and one additional SAE Institute campus in South Africa. The first project under construction will be located in Benoni, South Africa and is due to open in July this year. It will be followed in 2022 by other campuses in South Africa: Nelspruit, Potchefstroom, Port Elisabeth, and Pretoria.

Mike Lambert, Invictus Founder and CEO says: “Sommet Education is the international partner we needed to support our vision and expansion plan. This alliance also means that we will be able to provide our students with access to a worldwide network of alumni and industry partners with diversified learning paths and careers, with even more opportunity to learn and thrive internationally.”

In addition to these expansion plans, the two partners are looking to implement synergies in four key areas:

  • curriculum building and faculty expertise to support the expansion of Invictus Bachelor’s Degree on which Glion Institute of Higher Education and Les Roches have built their reputation;
  • further development of Culinary and Pastry Arts portfolio of programs relying on the know-how of École Ducasse;
  • Invictus bringing its knowledge and experience of B2B training, development and business consulting from Summit;
  • both partners will work together and share their knowledge, experience and vision on the on-line education programs and platforms.

Ambitious developments are also targeted for Africa, with a first campus opening in Kenya already scheduled for 2023.

Complementary programs and expertise

Sommet Education is the only education group with two top four globally ranked hospitality business schools, Glion Institute of Higher Education and Les Roches, recently respectively elected second and third in the world by employers[1]. Together with culinary and pastry arts school, École Ducasse, the Group operates nine campuses in five countries (Switzerland, France, Spain, UK and China) as well as state-of-the-art remote learning platforms.

On its hand, Invictus Education is a leading private education network in South Africa. It is a diversified company within the field of Hospitality Education and Training that comprises of the following four brands and a network of 8 Campuses, 3 Regional Offices, and 1 Support Office within the country:

  • International Hotel School, which delivers full time programs in Hospitality Management, Food and Beverage Management, and Culinary Arts. The school also operates an online learning platform with pathways ranging from short courses to full scale qualifications both within Africa and Australia;
  • IHS Gaming dedicated to gaming answering to the training needs the major listed casino operators in the country;
  • Summit which reunites B2B experts in the field of training, development, and business consulting and assists corporate businesses in achieving their strategic goals through innovative digital and practical training delivery mechanisms, with an emphasis on offering tailor made solutions in hospitality, gaming, management and retail food services sectors;
  • SAE Institute Africa, a fast-growing education company dedicated to creative media education and offering a broad portfolio of programs including Bachelors’ degrees and Higher Certificates in film production, sound production, animation, and gaming.
Business World

Sommet Education and UNWTO to host virtual webinar on “Hospitality Education in the Post Covid World” and reveal some of the Indian Winners of the UNWTO Hospitality Challenge

Apr 13, 2021 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #Sommet Education

New Delhi: On 14th April 2021, Sommet Education in collaboration with UNWTO is all set to host a virtual webinar on the theme “Hospitality Education in the Post Covid World” in the presence of eminent industry leaders from across the globe.

A segment of the webinar includes discovering the three Indian winners: Ipshita Kumar, Nikhil Roy and Nivesh Bhagtani, of the hospitality challenge organized last year by Sommet Education and UNWTO. They shall be presenting their projects: Lemonade Social, Hosbot and Young Hotelier Network respectively, to the public and initiating feedback through the webinar in order to make their proposals better.

Ipshita Kumar’s Lemonade Social generates self-empowered employment for hospitality and tourism professionals on a global scale through connecting brands & creators with consumers through experience-driven e-commerce. It is a global platform that seamlessly integrates virtual hospitality experiences with e-commerce and is focused on empowering chefs, sommeliers & mixologists.

Nikhil Roy’s Hosbot is a digital hospitality assistant app designed to be a virtual assistant, a targeted marketing tool and a simplified online directory listing all the services and outlets from a specific hotel.

Lastly, Nivesh Bhagtani’s Young Hotelier Network is a visionary social impact community integration model that unites the hospitality and hotel operations professionals across the globe. Integrating talent with opportunities, equipping it with the skills required in running successful and sustainable Hotel Operations. It links people with skills, exposure, learning, networking, coaching, mentorship and job opportunities. It is a single window for both professionals and employers to consolidate the opportunities and talent present in the market.

The panel discussion that shall take place prior to the projects showcasing shall comprise of Mr. Adrian Artimov, Regional Director South Asia, Sommet Education, Mr. Suman Billa, Director of the UNWTO Department for Technical Cooperation and its Silk Road Development project and Mr. Mandeep Lamba, HVS President of South Asia. The discussion will be moderated by Editor of Travel Ur Style and former host of CNBC TV-18, Mr. Naveen Soni.

This webinar shall provide students, entrepreneurs, industry insiders and hospitality enthusiasts the necessary insights into the industry and the effect on it due to Covid-19. Furthermore, the pitches by the three Indian winners shall be inspiring for potential students to understand the ever-evolving industry of Hospitality.

For registration to the webinar, use the given link: https://shivamvideo.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMsdumhrjkuGdbQmIaqAJvgM4OPzgDbMqud

Education

Sommet Education launches École Ducasse – Paris Campus : a new benchmark location for Culinary arts training

Nov 18, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Adrien Cachot, #Chantal Wittmann, #Chef Alain Ducasse, #Christophe Raoux, #Culinary arts, #École Ducasse, #hristopher Coutanceau, #Paris, #Romain Meder, #Sommet Education

In conjunction with partner Ducasse Développement, Sommet Education, a leading worldwide network of prestigious higher education schools specializing in hotel management, customer experience, and the culinary and pastry arts, is creating the new École Ducasse – Paris Campus, an emblematic venue dedicated to teaching culinary and pastry arts.

An ultra-contemporary campus focused on culinary excellence, on transmission and on the promotion of world-renowned gastronomic know-how.

École Ducasse – Paris Campus is a unique 5,000 sqm space dedicated to tasting, located in Meudon-la-Forêt, 10km from the heart of Paris. Both the school building as well as its interior and exterior fittings were custom-designed by international agency Arte Charpentier Architectes (Oxygen Tower in Lyon, Shanghai Opera House, Véolia Environment Campus…), along with landlord Covivio. The interior design of the bar and the initiation restaurant was entrusted to Jouin Manku, an agency whose previous projects include the restaurant Alain Ducasse at the Plaza Athénée.

The site includes nine laboratories dedicated to culinary arts as well as to pastrymaking, baking, chocolate and ice cream; seven classrooms for academic courses (Finance, Marketing, Human Resources, etc.); a sensory analysis room dedicated to food and wine pairings and the discovery of new flavours; a knowledge centre; as well as several coworking areas. The kitchens will benefit from the fruit trees surrounding the school and aromatic plants grown in the vegetable garden.

The campus also has a store with a takeaway sales area and an initiation restaurant open to the public.

This all amounts to a high-quality environment and experiential territory in which everything is done to facilitate work and develop gustatory sensations

As Chef Alain Ducasse emphasizes: “With the opening of the Paris Campus, we are pursuing an essential mission that I believe is one of the most beautiful in the world: preparing the next generation and training leaders. This mission consists of transmitting excellence, respect for produce and seasonality, as well as the ability to recover from difficult contexts, all driven by a strong focus on perpetual reinvention.”

The school offers a wealth of varied programs including:

· A three-year Bachelor’s degrees in Culinary Arts and French Pastry Arts aimed at post-baccalaureate students and training them to become well-rounded and entrepreneurial chefs. This year, the Bachelor’s degrees are endorsed by Jessica Préalpato, Pastry Chef, Alain Ducasse, Plaza Athénée, nominated 2019 “World’s Best Pastry Chef” on the prestigious World’s 50 Best Restaurants list; and Romain Meder, Executive Chef, Alain Ducasse, Plaza Athénée.

· “Diploma” programs lasting several months and which enable students to specialize after completing their initial culinary or pastry course.

· “Essentials” programs, offering retraining opportunities for people wishing to change careers and become a chef.

· Training courses for professional chefs, including the participation of MOF and renowned chefs such as Christopher Coutanceau, Adrien Cachot, Chantal Wittmann (MOF) and Christophe Raoux (MOF).

Organized in small cohorts to ensure personalized transmission, programs are taught in French and English and last from two months to three years. All combine both academic and practical courses from managing an institution to searching for new trends, to finding the exact touch required to achieve excellence. Themes covered touch on all areas of the culinary and pastry arts and echo new culinary trends, from Green Gastronomy to vegetable-based and Mediterranean cuisine, as well as tableware and the sommelier’s art.

“Chef Alain Ducasse’s philosophy infuses our educational vision and the way we approach culinary and pastry transmission on a daily basis. Our primary objective is to train extremely well-rounded chefs with a very contemporary culinary vision, unique expertise and interpersonal skills, combined with outstanding technical know-how and a strong entrepreneurial culture” explains Elise Masurel, Managing Director, École Ducasse.

Renowned teachers and mentors

Programs are all taught by top-level Chef trainers (MOF, world champions, renowned Chefs and Pastry Chefs, etc.). The opening of the Paris Campus follows the appointment of a world reference in the world of gastronomy, Jacques Maximin, as Culinary Advisor and Chef in Residence. Students will have the privilege of being associated with the exclusive Chef in Residence dinners. In addition to this distinguished expert, two talented professionals acknowledged by their peers have been appointed: Thomas Guichard as Head of Training and Production and Guillaume Katola as Head of Restaurants.

” This new place of educational excellence is a perfect fit with our international network of prestigious schools and illustrates the development strategy to which we are committed,” says Benoît-Etienne Domenget, CEO Sommet Education.

Exclusive partnerships

“Moët Hennessy is very pleased to collaborate on this magnificent project with Ecole Ducasse, a long-standing partner with whom we share a pioneering spirit, the pursuit of excellence, and a mission to pass down our craft with a spirit of elegance and epicureanism”, commented Philippe Schaus, Chairman and CEO of Moët Hennessy.

The Master Blenders and Cellar Masters of our Maisons will train the students in the subtleties of food and wine pairings while sharing their expertise, enriched by our craftsmanship and three centuries of winemaking heritage.

In order to offer technical excellence and cutting-edge technology to the students, all laboratory equipment has been custom designed and installed by Electrolux Professional, a leading global provider of foodservice, beverage and laundry solutions for professional users, and a long-standing partner of Ducasse globally.

École Ducasse is a network of schools belonging to the Sommet Education, a major international education group for hospitality management and arts.

For more information: learn.ecole-ducasse.com

Education

Sommet Education appoints high-caliber Digital Board to stimulate 3.0 hospitality studying experience

Oct 1, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Benoît-Etienne Domenget, #Digital Board, #Rajay Naik, #Roberto Eggs, #Sommet Education

Sommet Education, leading worldwide network of first-class higher education hospitality and culinary art schools Les Roches, Glion Institute of Higher Education and Ecole Ducasse, appoints a Digital Board composed of high-calibre experts in order to speed up and nourish digital hospitality studying experience and generate a direct impact on its curriculum worldwide.

For a sustainable approach of digital learning

Sommet Education has been successfully accelerating its digitalization as a response to the pandemic situation.

The digital transformation of the company has been led by a dedicated taskforce including digital and academic members to ensure solutions developed to respond with utmost flexibility and academic rigour to the situation and new student’s needs.

A wide range of solutions has been developed in the past months:

– Broadening the scope of learning with contextual and tailor-made courses: from specific academic series focusing on the crisis management “Leading Hospitality Through Turbulent Times” to the 5 000 on-line Certificates delivered and developed on Future Learn online learning platform.

– Offering new learning experiences: first phygital and one of a kind Bachelor semester Glion-Les Roches Connect,

– Flexibility in learning methods: implementing Live broadcasting and replay of courses on on-line learning platform to adapt to each individual situation (transport issue, late arrivals, willingness to review course material…),

– Smart technological and innovation investments with virtual enrolment tours, state-of-the-art Innovation hubs dedicated to new technologies development in Les Roches Crans-Montana and Marbella Campuses.

– Academic developments of technology-driven programs: Masters in hospitality strategy and Digital transformation program at Les Roches.

Sommet Education wishes to accelerate this movement and further take the lead on the Future of Hospitality Education and the sustainable integration of Digital learning solutions and new technologies in the curriculums.

The Digital Board

The aim of the Digital Board is to support Sommet Education with digital expertise and propose fresh ideas, services, products and solutions leveraging on digitalization to be implemented in campuses and courses and further integrate digitalization in the learning experiences of the students.

The board is based on the member expertise and worldwide recognition in their field. The first members joining are Roberto Eggs, Chief Marketing and Operating Officer, Executive Board Member at Moncler, Mathieu Lhomme, Strategic Transformation Officer at Danone, Rajay Naik, CEO of Skilled Education, as well as Olivier Younès, PhD, Founding CEO of EXPEN (www.expen.com) & Professor at HEC Paris. The board aims at integrating new members and expertise throughout the development of its reflections.

The Digital Board members will share their expertise and experience in the business applications of new technologies and bring a disruptive and unconventional approach to the education sector supporting its development and talents growth. Their observations, opinions, proposals or recommendations will transform concretely into digital services and products to be experimented and implemented in the group institutions’ campuses and curriculums.

On the appointment of the Digital Board, Benoît-Etienne Domenget, the CEO of Sommet Education said“Over the past months, Sommet Education has proven its ability to adjust to the needs of its students and accelerate its digital transformation. I am very proud and excited to welcome such highly recognized experts to further provide additional stimulus and bring fresh ideas to the existing curriculum thus taking the hospitality studying experience to the third-generation level.”