Jury members
The inclusion of a jury in any evaluative process ensures a diverse range of perspectives, fostering fairness and comprehensive assessment. For the Glion Accelerator process, the jury will be indispensable.
As we unveil The Glion Alumni Association Accelerator - a unique platform for budding entrepreneurs from our student and alumni community - the jury's collective expertise will be pivotal. Their insights will not only evaluate the viability of business ideas but also mentor and guide participants, ensuring that every pitch on 27th November 2024 truly resonates with potential and promise.
Dr. Antonina Santalova
Academic Dean at Glion of Higher Education
Dr. Antonina Santalova was appointed as the Academic Dean in April 2023, bringing with her an extensive experience of over 20 years in education management and leadership, coupled with a distinguished track record in research and teaching.
Dr. Santalova completed both her master’s and doctorate degrees at the University of Oxford, where she currently holds the position of Associate Fellow in the Department of Social Policy and Intervention. In 2015, she founded and directed Oxford Study Limited, a start-up endorsed by the University of Oxford, aimed at assisting international students in their applications to UK universities.
Most recently, Dr. Santalova served as the Dean of the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) program and Director of the Research Institute at the University of Business, Innovation and Sustainability (UBIS), USA. During her tenure, she played a pivotal role in the growth and development of the DBA program.
Dr. Santalova’s academic qualifications include a Doctorate in Social Policy and an MPhil in Comparative Social Policy from the University of Oxford, as well as an MA in Marketing from the National State University in Kyrgyzstan and an HE Diploma in Linguistics from the same university. Furthermore, Dr. Santalova possesses a Certificate in Developing Learning and Teaching and a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education, both awarded by the University of Oxford. Her contributions extend beyond her current role, as she serves as a member of the Strategic Partnership Board on Diagnostic Research at Oxford University’s Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences and contributes as a Public Involvement Champion at NIHR Applied Research Collaboration.
Yves Luethi
CIO of Julen Group
An optimistic, entrepreneurial, doer personality - born and raised in Switzerland with over a decade in fast-growing markets - namely Southeast Asia. Extensive experience in real estate and start- and scale ups. Currently the Chief Investment Officer for a Swiss single-family office that has core business interests in hospitality and real estate, in addition to taking an active role in venture capital and private equity investments.
Yves has 10+ years’ experience of working with founders and family offices on developing and implementing business programs and strategies. He also is an experienced lead consultant for institutional and family offices for their real estate portfolios (AUM $1+ billion) including new development projects and has transacted large scale commercial leases, investment sales, and structured joint ventures.
Yves has a proven track record in establishing and growing teams and revenue (from 0 to 30 people, from $0 to $1M+), and helping businesses to scale (from 10 to 400 employees). He is also extremely passionate about ideas and startups; helped launch various initiatives and ventures, and was part of innovation programs including the global prop-tech accelerator by Techstars in North America.
Thomas Kanza
Managing Director and Investor at Spetses
Thomas Kanza, an individual with an impressive academic and professional background, began his academic journey by securing a double diploma: a master's degree in Corporate Law and a degree from the renowned Business School ESCP. His professional career commenced in a boutique private bank, where he served as the right-hand man to the COO. Not one to rest on his laurels, Thomas pursued further education and graduated with an MBA from IMHI (ESSEC Cornell).
This MBA equipped him with the skills that he leveraged for 2.5 years as a business analyst and asset manager for a hospitality-focused fund prior to joining the Family Office.
Henrique Veiga
CEO of BAE Ventures
Henrique Veiga has over 30 years of experience as a leader in the innovation, tourism and hospitality sectors, where he has made significant contributions as both an investor and mentor. Currently, he is the CEO of BAE Ventures, a venture capital firm dedicated to driving innovation in the travel and tourism value chain. His career has taken him across Europe, South America, the Caribbean, Africa, and the Middle East, where he has led teams that have successfully executed over 200 projects, including urban hotels, resorts, casinos, residential communities, and golf courses, that have had a transformative impact on the global hospitality landscape.
Henrique's extensive background includes holding leadership roles in several companies, serving as the former Chairman of the Portuguese Hotel Association, and being actively involved in organizations such as the National Association of Economists and the World Future Society. His academic credentials include a degree in Economics from Porto, an MBA in International Trade from IEP/ESADE Barcelona, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Real Estate, Development, and Hotel Investment from Cornell University.
In addition to his role at BAE Ventures, Henrique is a partner at FCJ Corporate Venture Builder in Brazil and Grupo Sublime Hotels in Portugal. His passion for innovation and mentoring is evident in his active involvement with startups, corporations, and fellow investors, where he continually seeks to address the challenges and harness the opportunities within the travel and tourism sectors.
Eliott Tischker
Director of Real Estate & Hotels at KPMG
Passionate about the hotel business for over 15 years, Eliott has been helping the family-run hotel group group, “Maisons et Hôtels Sibuet”, a specialist in high-end hotels, in its development, bringing to the family his knowledge of M&A processes acquired at the start of his career at Degroof Petercam.
At the age of 25, his entrepreneurial DNA led him to set up a start-up in the fast-food sector, that he sold 4 years later. His entrepreneurial experience gave him the desire to support entrepreneurs in their development, so he joined a Corporate Venture Capitalist, with the mission of taking charge of investments in start-ups reinventing the point-of-sale experience, as well as launching a business accelerator to provide entrepreneurs with strategic, commercial and financial mentoring.
His deep-seated desire to work alongside hospitality entrepreneurs led him to join Atream, a management company specializing in tourism investment, where for 5 years he participates in hotel asset acquisitions in France and Europe for a volume of 400 M€.
1 year ago, Eliott joined KPMG Corporate Finance, the investment banking arm of KPMG, to develop the Hospitality vertical within the Real Estate team, in order to support hospital players in their capital transactions (M&A, fundraising, debt, etc.).
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