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Checking in with InterContinental Hotels

When InterContinental Hotels Group wanted to launch a high-level executive education program for selected employees at the VP level and above, the Windsor, England-based global hospitality company-- which owns, manages, leases, or franchises more than 3,600 hotels and 539,000 guest rooms--turned to Goizueta Business School for assistance.

"At InterContinental Hotels Group, employee learning is an ongoing process," says Lynne Zappone, vice president of talent development and learning at InterContinental Hotels Group, Americas. "We went through a rigorous review and interview process before selecting Goizueta as one of the partners in our Senior Leadership Program, an international educational effort."

Goizueta alums like Roxana Kawas '00MBA, an international product manager with InterContinental Hotels' e-Commerce Division, and Ronen Nissembaum '07MEMBA, a regional VP and general manager at the InterContinental Buckhead Hotel in Atlanta, illustrate why Goizueta and InterContinental are a great match.

Nissembaum, who is entering his second session of the Senior Leadership Program, praises Goizueta and the corporate development program.

"I've gotten a lot of valuable knowledge from both initiatives," he says. "The Goizueta faculty is attuned to our company's needs, and the response from executives here has been overwhelmingly positive."

"My business-school education was right on the money for this job," adds Kawas. "There was an entrepreneurial edge to the coursework, and a strong focus on e-commerce. The school offered exactly what I was looking for."

Today, Kawas gives something back to Goizueta by staying involved with her alma mater, acting as a mentor to students.

"I act as a coach for students who are interested in pursuing a career with InterContinental," she explains. "Among other interactions, I offer them advice on the application process, from building a resume to handling an interview. My contact information is on file at the school's career management center, and I encourage the people there to give it to students."

This is the second year that Goizueta faculty are working with InterContinental to offer programs designed to enhance executives' branding, leadership, and other skills.

"In 2005, the university worked with our handpicked consulting firms and other partners to develop a curriculum that addressed strategic thinking, analytical and other approaches that increase shareholder value," explains Zappone from the company's U.S. headquarters in Atlanta. "This year Goizueta's faculty is focusing on such areas as branding and change management, issues that help InterContinental to maintain a leadership position in an increasingly competitive environment."

In addition to developing programs that provide top-level theoretical and practical knowledge for InterContinental, Goizueta MBA candidates engage in a variety of internships at InterContinental, and a significant number of them go on to join the company after graduation. As they advance within the firm, they're encouraged to maintain ties with the business school.

"InterContinental alumni are very active in job fairs and other recruitment and internship activities at Goizueta," says Peter Topping, worldwide faculty director of the InterContinental Hotels Group and associate professor in the practice of organization and management there. "InterContinental also sends employees [like Nissembaum] to our Executive MBA (EMBA) program."

Jim Anhut '80BBA also demonstrates that the ties between Goizueta and InterContinental go both ways. A senior vice president of Brand Development with the hotel group, Anhut periodically works with Goizueta marketing classes, reinforcing students' academic development with his own competitive workplace experiences. At the same time, he's also enrolled in the leadership program.

"Goizueta faculty took the time to understand InterContinental Hotels Group and crafted a program that drives us to look deeply at situations and to formulate solutions," he says. "It's a fruitful, relevant, and intellectually challenging environment."

Zappone says InterContinental has been very pleased with the partnership.

"In fact, we're building on that success, and in May of this year are launching a separate, full-year program with the university that will be directed at another set of executives," she explains. "We get very positive feedback from the participants, and the results can be seen in the continued growth of InterContinental."

—Marty Daks

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