LAUSANNE, Switzerland, August 30, 2017 - Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) and the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) are delighted to announce their official academic collaboration with the goal to deliver a unique hospitality management program.

The newly signed framework agreement lays the groundwork for program collaboration, drawing on the expertise and strengths of both institutions. The development of graduate-level Hospitality Management programs in China comes at a particularly timely phase of the Asian hospitality industry, which is set to grow well above the global average for the coming decade. The program will be the first of its kind within mainland China.

Ranked number 1 in Asia by the 2017 Financial Times MBA Rankings, CEIBS emerged as the ideal academic partner for EHL, the world’s top-ranked hospitality management university. “We are thrilled by the prospects this partnership has opened. As a key agent of the global hospitality industry, we recognize the importance of strengthening our presence in Asia. The continent’s booming hospitality industry will generate an exponentially growing demand for qualified leaders and innovators, and we are committed to training them with the highest standards. To complete this objective, CEIBS is without a doubt the best possible ally,” said Michel Rochat, CEO of EHL Group.

According to Achim Schmitt, Associate Dean of Graduate Studies at EHL, the newly created EMBA in Hospitality allows us to “leverage each institution’s strengths and creates a new benchmark for excellence in hospitality management.”

“In recent years, as Chinese companies go global, we have seen major deals in the hospitality industry. In many cases these overseas expansions outpace the capabilities of the Chinese firms. The HEMBA will develop senior management professionals for the industry,” explained CEIBS Dean Professor Ding Yuan. “Who better to partner with than EHL, the very best in the field of hospitality management?”

The HEMBA will be available as of May 2018, with courses jointly delivered by CEIBS and EHL faculty in Switzerland, Shanghai, and other cities in the Asia Pacific Region. HEMBA graduates will be awarded with dual EMBA Degrees, one each from CEIBS and EHL.

“The synergies created through this collaboration with EHL ensure that we will be able to provide a program that has service excellence at its core, within the hospitality industry and beyond,” said CEIBS Associate Dean for Europe and Program Director, Professor Katherine Xin.