Overview
Help a highly regarded international hospitality organization identify exciting new opportunities for growth in a post-pandemic world. Individuals selected for this Alpha Team will create a plan for the sponsoring company to extend its brand to attract new customers and reconnect with valued guests. Team members will develop strategies to help the hospitality company maximize brand value, expand markets, and leverage operating strengths.
Dusit International
Dusit International is a premier hospitality company headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand. Founded in 1948, Dusit has 48 hotels and resorts in 15 countries.
Areas of Investigation
- Target the New Customer: Identify the profiles and expectations of the New Customer and the capabilities required to build brand loyalty.
- Market development: Pinpoint key demographic segments and promising national markets to expand the inflow of guests from India, China, Mideast, and the U.S.
- Brand analysis: Evaluate brand strength across target geographies and demographics.
- Operational excellence: Determine how to best leverage operating strengths and IP to achieve differentiation and scale in selected markets.
- New business models: Explore possible new models or changes to the current operating model to achieve post-pandemic growth and scale advantage.
Key Takeaways
- Apply your knowledge to solve a real-world business issue
- Collaborate with experienced business mentors
- Sharpen your leadership, collaboration, teamwork, and communication skills
- Expand your personal and professional network
- Produce and present an actionable report for a senior-level audience
- Receive a certificate upon completion
Designed for the following individuals interested in contemporary business strategies and management practices
- MBA-level business students
- Business professionals
- Faculty members
Participant Expectations
Plan to commit at least six hours per week for six weeks (and an additional orientation week for introductory materials and required reading). Leadership roles within the Alpha Team will require additional time commitments.
Technical Requirements
Participants will need access to a computer or smart device with reliable access to the Internet.
Center for Global Enterprise
The Center for Global Enterprise (CGE) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research institution devoted to the study of global management best practices, the contemporary corporation, economic integration, and their impacts on society. The Center was founded by Samuel J. Palmisano, former CEO and Chairman of IBM, to advance the management science that fosters successful global companies and to make these best practices available and accessible to the current and next generation of business leaders.
For any questions, please contact Megan Jones ([email protected])
Project Sponsors
Lim Boon Kwee, Chief Operating Officer, Dusit International
Based in Dusit’s Bangkok headquarters, Lim Boon Kwee oversees the operations of Dusit’s global portfolio of hotels and resorts across four continents. Responsible for the financial and operational responsibilities of Dusit’s Hotel Business Unit, both at the corporate and property levels, he oversees corporate functions in Sales & Marketing, Rooms, Food & Beverage, Engineering and Technical Services, as well as supporting the Development team to expand the company’s global footprint.
Mr. Lim joined Dusit International in March 2013 as President of Dusit Fudu Hotel Management Company Ltd., Dusit’s joint venture company based in Shanghai, China. With his appointment on 1 February 2016, the office of the President of Dusit Fudu has been integrated with that of the Chief Operating Officer of Dusit International for better alignment between the two companies.
Prior to joining Dusit, Mr. Lim was the Senior Vice President of Millennium and Copthorne for Asia. He possesses an impressive breadth of management experience spanning over 30 years, having worked for companies such as The Westin, the Intercontinental, Sedona Hotels International, Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, and New World Hotels & Resorts.
Mr. Lim holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Denver in Hotel and Restaurant Management as well as a Master of Business Administration from the Nanyang Business School of the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
Shawn Muma, Director of Supply Chain Innovation and Emerging Technologies for CGE’s Digital Supply Chain Institute (DSCI)
Shawn Muma’s experience includes structuring and managing technology alliances for IBM in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Middle East, and South America in a variety of industries including aerospace and defense, investment banking, retail banking, chemical, and public sector. In addition to the U.S., he has lived and worked in London, Bangkok, and Beijing, giving him a broad perspective on challenges facing global corporations. He has designed and implemented governance models and management systems in a variety of multi-partner environments and has vast experience in dealing with the complex issues encountered in multi-cultural environments.
Among his accomplishments is the initial technology development and management for the London-based Continuous Linked Settlement Bank, a consortium of more than 50 global banks that handles simultaneous settlement for $7 trillion in daily foreign exchange transactions.
He holds an MBA from the Wharton School and has been a lecturer on Global Operations Management for graduate students at Washington University in St. Louis.
Project Leaders
Aloysius Michael, Assistant Vice President, Operational Excellence, Dusit International
Aloysius Michael has an extensive background in the hotel and education industry, having held both operational and management roles at the Ritz-Carlton, Montigo Resorts, At-Sunrice Global Chef Academy, and Dusit Hospitality Management College. Currently, he oversees the opening of new Dusit hotels globally, using his wealth of experience in leading the operational and hotel development teams.
Butch Changramai, Corporate Operations Manager, Dusit International
Butch Changramai has a vast amount of experience in hotel operations with over 15 years in many hotel groups ranging from Interstate Hotels and Resorts, LXR, Hilton, and Starwood. As corporate operations manager, Mr. Changramai’s scope of work ranges from hotel pre-opening support, sustainability, creating new standards and processes, integration of new technologies, hotel audits, simulations, and new projects. Mr. Changramai also supports all the operational departments which include, rooms, food and beverage, total quality management, engineering, and technical services divisions.
Ira Sager, Vice President, Communications and Global Learning, Center for Global Enterprise
Mr. Sager is vice president, Global Learning Initiatives for The Center for Global Enterprise. Mr. Sager has held several senior editorial roles in 21 years with Bloomberg Businessweek, most recently as Director of Special Projects. He has extensive experience with digital media and knowledge of the technology, management consulting, and education industries. Mr. Sager has a B.A. in English from Baruch College, City University of New York.
Project Administrator
Megan Jones
Megan Jones is an Associate at the Center for Global Enterprise and Program Administrator for the Dusit Thani Alpha Team.
She is a certified coach-consultant for business transformation and helps individuals, teams, and organizations find new perspectives and innovative solutions, and is delighted to be part of the Alpha Team.
Prior to joining the Center for Global Enterprise, she served as Head of Communications for AXA’s International Group Life and Health Division. A New Jersey native, she resides in the Greater Paris region and has lived in France since 2014.
She earned her dual certification as coach-consultant from The Mountain School of Transformation and the Centre International du Coach. She holds dual International MBA degrees from the Fox School of Business, Temple University and École des Ponts Business School and a Bachelor of Arts in Policy Studies and French from Lafayette College. A native English speaker, she is fluent in French, speaks intermediate Urdu and has traveled to 50 countries.
Project Mentors
Dr. Irving Wladawsky-Berger
Dr. Irving Wladawsky-Berger is Chairman Emeritus, IBM Academy of Technology, a position he assumed in May 2007 when he retired from IBM as Vice President of Technical Strategy and Innovation. He was responsible for identifying emerging technologies and marketplace developments critical to the future of the IT industry and organizing appropriate activities in and outside IBM to capitalize on them. He has led several of IBM’s companywide initiatives including the Internet and e-business, supercomputing, Linux, and Grid computing. He continues to consult for IBM. In March of 2008, Dr. Wladawsky-Berger joined Citigroup as Strategic Advisor, helping with innovation and technology initiatives across the company.
He is Visiting Lecturer at MIT’s Sloan School of Management and Engineering Systems Division, an Adjunct Professor in the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Group at the Imperial College Business School, and a Senior Fellow at the Levin Institute of the State University of New York. He is a member of BP’s Technology Advisory Council, InnoCentive Advisory Board, the Board of Directors of the Federation of American Scientists, the Visiting Committee for the Physical Sciences Division at the University of Chicago, and the Board of Visitors for the Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin.
Dr. Wladawsky-Berger was co-chair of the President’s Information Technology Advisory Committee, as well as a founding member of the Computer Sciences and Telecommunications Board of the National Research Council. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. A native of Cuba, he was named the 2001 Hispanic Engineer of the Year. Dr. Wladawsky-Berger received an M.S. and a Ph. D. in physics from the University of Chicago.
Dravida Seetharam
Dravida Seetharam is an accomplished leader with 35 years of senior management experience in Indian industries. He has led strategic programs for companies, including the implementation of global initiatives. Experienced in building the brand and reputation of companies, he holds numerous achievements in the areas of governmental affairs, manufacturing, and operations.
As the former leader of IBM’s Governmental Programs in India, Mr. Seetharam has extensive experience and expertise working with governments across India, and elsewhere. As a member of the IBM Global Governmental Programs Leadership team, he contributed directly to the company’s worldwide objectives in the areas of Market Access, Open Standards, Workforce Flexibility, and Market Support.
In addition to his work with IBM, his professional experience includes employment with Siemens, TVS Electronics, and Tech Pacific. He is a Certified Professional Coach and has served as an Advisory Board member of the Project Management India Bangalore Chapter for the last 5 years. He has held executive council positions in MAIT (Manufacturing Association of IT) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
He has a bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering with a Post Graduate Diploma in Management.
Sugathri Kolluru
Sugathri Kolluru is the Program Director of the TrailblazeHERS initiative and the Managing Director of the USAWEC program at the Center for Global Enterprise. She is passionate about developing community-based programs that bring women together to collaborate in the development of their leadership skills. She is currently working to expand the participation of women in leadership positions in the supply chain and to support women entrepreneurs. Prior to joining CGE, Ms. Kolluru served as a strategy consultant where she developed growth strategies for several organizations such as Carbon 3D, NASA Langley research center, and Agohelma orphanage. Ms. Kolluru holds an MBA from Johns Hopkins and a bachelor’s degree in technology from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, India.
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