President Board of Directors

Hotelschool The Hague - President of the Board of Directors

Hotelschool The Hague (HTH) was founded in 1929, making it one of the oldest independent hotel schools in the world.
Throughout its illustrious history, HTH has earned a reputation for delivering outstanding education and pioneering research. It is now counted among the world's top hospitality management institutions and holds the distinction of being the finest Hotelschool in The Netherlands. Globally, many HTH alumni are in pivotal roles within the hospitality sector. The institution operates on two campuses; in The Hague and Amsterdam, serving over 2,600 students. This vibrant student community comprises 30% international students, and the school employs over 250 staff members.

HTH specializes in hospitality business education and research, shaping future leaders to navigate and innovate within the global hospitality landscape. Its diverse programs include a four-year Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality Management, an accelerated Bachelor of Arts program of two and a half years, a comprehensive thirteen month MBA in International Hospitality Management, and a one-year Master of Arts focusing on Leading Hotel Transformation.

Hotelschool The Hague is searching for a new President of the Board of Directors
The President serves as the organization's external and internal representative, and embodies the institution's public face, symbolizing its values and mission. The school s governance is steered by a two-member Board of Directors, each accountable to the Board of Trustees. Together with the Dean, the President constitutes the Board of Directors through collaborative governance (Collegiaal Bestuur). The President also serves as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors.

Both board members have distinct portfolios but they are expected to collaborate closely and avoid silos. The President not only represents Hotelschool externally to the hospitality industry, but is also tasked with overseeing internal departments, including the corporate secretary s office, finance, HRM, IT, Facility & Real Estate, Student Services, marketing, industry & alumni relations, hospitality at the school and the campus facilities. Additionally, the President guides program and project initiatives targeting strategy, innovation, and change. The President maintains crucial relationships with the work council (called Co-Determination Council at Hotelschool the Hague) and trade unions. The other board member, the Dean, handles the academic, educational and research side and looks outward to other learning institutions.

Looking ahead, HTH's mission is two-fold: preserving and elevating its esteemed reputation, and fortifying its foundation for future challenges and opportunities. This entails safeguarding against evolving risks, such as governmental shifts or demographic changes, and harnessing opportunities like digitalization and the growing call for sustainability. As such, the President is expected to be visionary, charting a forward-looking path for the Hotelschool and cultivating broad-based support for this vision. This strategic roadmap should translate into tangible projects and programs that underscore the institution's contemporary and robust ethos.

Naturally, the President s vision will be influenced by broader societal and industry trends. This necessitates proactive engagements with pivotal stakeholders, including liaisons with the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science, the HBO Council, and industry representatives from both the domestic and international hospitality sectors.

Internally, the President, in tandem with their board colleague, champions a culture of continuous improvement and learning within the institution. While the pursuit of innovation allows for trial and error, the institutionalization of such innovations demands precision and minimal errors. Given the professional nature of the institution, it is paramount to value the expertise of its members, balancing that with a sharp focus, prioritization and oversight to ensure progress in innovation remains undiminished. Working with professionals requires a delicate equilibrium between guidance and autonomy. The same finesse is essential to foster collaboration across diverse facets of the Hotelschool, bridging practical and theoretical instruction, educators and administrators, and balancing educational mandates with research imperatives.