President of the Board of Governors Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne

President of the Board of Governors Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne.

Born in Switzerland in Zurich in 1951, Andre Witschi has over 40 years of experience in the European restaurant and hospitality industry. He started his career working for the Mövenpick group where he was noticed for his role as manager of the Cindy's Diner restaurants and project manager in the motorway restaurant. Andre Witschi joined the Accor Group in 1991 as Director of Ibis for Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Poland, Italy and the South of France.

In 1996, he received the prestigious Hotelier of the Year award in Germany. In 1999 he took over as European Director of Accor Hotellerie economic. In 2003 he became Chairman of the Management Board of Accor Hotellerie Deutschland GmbH, Germany's biggest hotel group. Paul Dubrule, one of the founders of Accor, recently commented that "He was Director of Accor Germany, and managed the company with an iron hand in a velvet glove. That is why I consider Andre Witschi to be a good all-rounder, someone who knows how to motivate the troops and who at the same time has an understanding of products, of concepts. If I may add a third thing, he is also a real manager."

In 2008, he was appointed President of the Management Board of Steigenberger Hotels AG, a position he occupied until the group was sold in 2009. Son of a restaurant owner and a graduate of the Juventus Business School and the Hospitality Management School in Zurich, Andre Witschi also holds two MBAs from the GSBA Zurich and the State University of New York, Albany (SUNY). He is currently a member of the Supervisory Board of Lindner Hotels AG; member of the Board of Directors of Scandic Hotels; member of the Board of Directors of Build S.A and member of the Board of DEHOGA/IHA (German Association of Hoteliers and Restaurateurs).

Andre Witschi became President of the Board of Governors of the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne on beginning 2012.