What were some of your observations and feelings about the school when you first walked in?
"I was impressed. It gave me a lot of encouragement to carry on with the already strong traditions here. I could feel the pride held by both the staff and school community and I wanted to build on that. The individual attention provided to each student revealed the passion of the staff for the school and its students. This, I quickly realized, was not only for those on campus, but also reflected a philosophy of caring for students before they arrive and after they leave as part of the alumni ‘family’ network. I realized that all this ‘caring’ is an essential part of what makes César Ritz Colleges so special and so successful."

What plans do you have for César Ritz Colleges?
"With the support of Swiss Education Group, my aim is to not only have César Ritz Colleges remain as a high-level institution renowned worldwide for its excellence in hospitality and tourism education, but also, to take it right to the top. As a major part of this aim, I have been busy focusing on developing our academic programmes in collaboration with our international partners and in line with industry recommendations. I am therefore proud to already announce that as a result of this, we can now offer our students a Bachelor degree in partnership with one of our longtime partners, the world-class Washington State University (WSU).

I am also proud to announce another main project and that is the integration of our new César Ritz Colleges Campus in Lucerne, adding yet again to what César Ritz Colleges can offer. Other plans include an academic research centre in Brig and the creation of a contemporary dining and culinary experience in our new facilities on the Le Bouveret Campus. So, we have prestigious international partners, an excellent faculty and, with our new state-of-the art facilities also opening at the Le Bouveret Campus, I am confident of taking César Ritz Colleges to the highest level."

So who is Ronan Fitzgerald? Could you please introduce yourself to our alumni?
"I have been in Switzerland for eight years, seven of which I worked for the Hotel Institute Montreux (HIM) and have a Master’s degree in management. On a personal note, I am originally from Ireland, am married, have two lovely dogs and enjoy listening to music, walking and playing the guitar when I have some time for myself."