THE-ICE Board of Directors
Ms Gienke Osinga – Chair & Director
Ms Gienke Osinga holds a Bachelor degree of the Hotelmanagement School The Hague and a Master in Change Management. Her first steps in her career were with KLM Catering Services at the procurement department inflight services. She switched to KLM City hopper, in those days a daughter company of KLM, where she was responsible, among others, for revenue management, commercial planning and the budgeting process.
Later on she worked for KLM the Netherlands, the marketing and sales department for the Dutch market, where she was involved in the first E commerce business projects such as online booking tools and online check in. Further responsibilities were the launch of a frequent flyer program, the introduction of a corporate credit card and more.
In 2001 she decided to switch to education. During her years with KLM she was asked as a guest lecturer, assessor and graduation coach for NHTV students, on a regular basis. Working with students gave her so much pleasure and satisfaction that she took the opportunity when the start of a hotel management program in Breda, was announced. She started as a curriculum developer for the hotel management program of NHTV University of Applied Sciences. Since 2012 she has held the position of Dean of the Hotel Management program and the Facility Management program of Breda University of Applied Sciences.
She is the chair of the Association of the Dutch Hotel Management Schools. Recently all public funded members of the Association successfully passed THE-ICE accreditation.
Gienke was elected as Director on THE-ICE Board in November 2018.
Associate Professor Simon Pawson – Deputy Chair & Director
Associate Professor Simon Pawson is an academic leader and researcher. He began his hotel career in 1988, and in 2004 made the transition to tourism and hotel management education. His areas of teaching and research interests include business studies, specifically leadership, marketing and strategic management, social / environmental justice, community-based tourism, responsible tourism, sustainable tourism, destination marketing & national identity, sustainable tourism, heritage tourism, destination management, social sciences research, leadership, strategic management and organizational behaviour.
Simon has been an active researcher and social advocate in Cambodia since 2002. His research projects include investigating social and environmental consequences of tourism development in Siem Reap, antiquities theft, human trafficking, pro poor tourism, heritage and cultural tourism, attraction development, tourism and rural development, community-based and responsible tourism.
Simon is a graduate of The Australian National University (PhD) and Macquarie University Graduate School of Management (Masters). At present he is the Associate Dean of Hospitality, and Academic Director, Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School at Torrens University Australia. He is also the lead researcher of The Cambodian Sustainable Tourism Development Collaborative Project. Simon is also a member of The Council for Australasian Tourism and Hospitality Education (CAUTHE).
Previously Simon was Head, School of International Tourism, Hospitality Management and Retail Marketing at the International College of Management Sydney (ICMS); he was also Chair, Academic Conduct, Appeals and Disputes Committee. The hospitality and tourism industry honoured Simon in 2004, when he was awarded the Australian Hotels Association’s Young Achiever of the Year, in recognition of his commitment to and achievements in tourism and hospitality. In the same year Simon also received Rotary Australia’s Pride of Workmanship award.
In private life, Simon undertakes philanthropic work in Cambodia, notably in connection with community development. He has been involved in a range of projects since 2003, the main involving NGO initiatives amongst Cambodia’s rural poor.
Simon was elected as Director on THE-ICE Board in 2021.
Professor Peter Ryan – Treasurer & Director
For over 25 years Professor Peter Ryan has been actively involved with a number of higher education providers, specialising in the areas of regulatory approvals, quality assurance, and corporate and academic governance. Peter has also provided strategic advice and regulatory due diligence for prospective purchasers of private higher education institutions.
Peter is Founder & Director of the Higher Education Leadership Institute (HELI) which offers postgraduate courses in e-learning and higher education teaching practice.
Professor Ryan is a qualified accountant and Fellow of CPA Australia.
Professor Ryan was elected as Treasurer and Director on THE-ICE Board in 2019.
Dr Lilibeth C. Aragon – Director
Dr Lilibeth Aragon is currently the Dean of the Lyceum of the Philippines University-Manila’s College of International Tourism and Hospitality Management. She has an extensive background in the Cruise Line industry, having worked on-board various fleets of P&O Cruises UK for years. She has also contributed in the continuous improvement of Training Regulations and Competency Based Learning Materials and Assessment for ASEAN and Technical Education and Skills Development. Dr. Aragon is also an Accreditor for Tourism, Hospitality and Graduate programs of the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation (PACUCOA). She provides assistance to Philippines Commission on Higher Education (CHED) as part of National Capital Regions Quality Assurance Team (NCR-RQAT).
Dr Aragon holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Tourism, Master in Business Administration and a Doctorate degree in Business Administration from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. She also holds a Higher Degree Certificate from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust of London. She is a Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE) and Trainer by American-based company American Hospitality Lodging and Education Inc. She also completed the Certified Guest Service Professional Course (CGFS).
She currently serves the Association of Administrators in Hospitality, Hotel and Restaurant Management Educational Institutions (AAHRMEI) as the Internal Vice President and the Philippine Association of Researchers for Tourism and Hospitality (PARTH) as Board Member.
Dr Aragon is an ASEAN Master Trainer, the first batch to represent the Philippine delegation held at Bali, Indonesia.
Lilibeth was elected as Director on THE-ICE Board in November 2020.
Mr Andrew Dolphin – Director
Mr Andrew Dolphin is currently the Manager of Higher Education at William Angliss Institute, Australia’s largest Specialist-training provider for foods, tourism, hospitality and events.
With a Master of Business Hospitality and Tourism Education, Master of Professional Education and Training, and Graduate Certificate of Politics and Policy, Andrew is focused on quality assurance, accessible education, and education as a transformative experience.
Following an extensive industry career, Andrew moved to vocational education in 2003 and then higher education in 2009. In this time he has successfully led strategic course development and registration projects at undergraduate and post graduate level, while simultaneously developing staff capability and institutional governance in line with regulator expectations.
Andrew was elected as Director on THE-ICE Board in November 2023.
Ms Tanja Florenthal – Director
Ms Tanja Florenthal is the dean of Cesar Ritz Colleges. She is passionate about entrepreneurship, sustainability, and innovation and enjoys sharing her knowledge with students. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Hotel Administration from Cornell University, an MBA, and a Master of Arts in Higher Education and she is currently pursuing her doctorate. She has lived in the Philippines, Malaysia, USA, Thailand, India, UAE, Israel, and Switzerland.
Tanja was elected as Director on THE-ICE Board in November 2022.
Dr Atty Gezzez Giezi G Granado – Director
Dr Attorney Gezzez Giezi G. Granado is a graduate of BS Tourism from the University of Santo Tomas. From the same university, he also graduated Bachelor of Laws, Master of Laws, and Doctor of Civil Law. He worked as a Travel Agent and later on a Travel Agency Operations Manager while earning his Law Degree.
For 19 years now, he has been teaching Tourism and Hospitality Laws, Legal Policy Issues in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry, and Sustainable Tourism at the UST College of Tourism and Hospitality Management. He is also teaching Torts and Damages, Legal Research, and Legal Technique and Logic at the Faculty of Civil Law.
Dr Attorney Granado has been conducting studies, written cases and a resource person for different subjects related to Sustainable Tourism, Legal Policy Issues in Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Tourism and Hospitality Laws, and Tourism and Hospitality Education.
He takes part in various capacities such as a Project Director, Consultant, and Researcher of different local government units for their strategic and development plans related to the Tourism and Hospitality Industry and their respective Tourism Codes.
At present, he serves as the Dean of the UST College of Tourism and Hospitality Management and sits as a Board of Director/ Trustees of international and local professional organizations.
Gezzez was elected as Director on THE-ICE Board in November 2020.
Mr Risto Karmavuo – Director
Mr Risto Karmavuo is a Degree Director at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences – Helsinki, Finland. In his current work position Risto is responsible of developing Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Management higher education.
He is a Haaga graduate (BSc 2000, MSc 2007 / Hospitality Management). His previous work experience includes wine consultancy in hospitality business, alumni coordinator for Haaga Institute and senior lecturer of Business Planning. Risto also works as part-time journalist, writing articles about food&wine and he is the author of several food & wine books.
Risto served the EuroCHRIE Board for several years as Director of Networking as well as Treasurer and was also member of organizing committee for EuroCHRIE 2009 Conference. Currently he holds a position as Board Member in Worldwide Alliance by Institute Lyfe (ex-Paul Bocuse).
Risto was elected as Director on THE-ICE Board in November 2023.
Mr Simon Lloyd – Director
As Dean of Hospitality Management, Simon’s focus is the redevelopment, internationalization and growth of the BBA in Hospitality Management, certified by the Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne and the BBA in Hotel Management, along with teaching Leadership and Strategic Management. Before joining Dusit Thani College, Simon served as Dean of Hospitality and Sustainable Tourism at Botho University in Botswana, where he launched their Hospitality Management programs, as well as Kempinski Hotels, covering Operations Management, Strategic Planning and Talent Development in China and Europe.
Simon holds an MPhil in Inclusive Innovation from the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business in South Africa, focusing on tourism training in rural communities in Botswana, as well as a BSc in International Hospitality Management from the Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne in Switzerland, with a specialization in Finance.
In addition to his role with Dusit Thani College, Simon is a member of the PATA Board and Mekong Tourism Advisory Groups, as well as an avid supporter and advocate of community-based tourism and sustainable tourism activities.
Having grown up and worked in Southern Africa and worked across Europe, Africa and Asia, Simon has an appreciation of a variety of cultures, which he tries to incorporate into all aspects of his life. He believes that, especially in the world of education, training and talent development, there are no correct solutions but that any solution needs to start with the individual.
Simon was elected as Director on THE-ICE Board in November 2023.
Dr Ivan Ninov – Director
Dr Ivan Ninov is the Executive Dean of Al Rayyan International University College (ARIU) in partnership with University of Derby in Qatar. ARIU is the premier higher education institution for hospitality management, tourism management and international business management education in the State of Qatar.
Dr Ninov has extensive international academic and managerial experience, having lived and worked in Europe, the United States, Dubai, and Qatar. His main areas of expertise are Strategy Formulation and Implementation, as well as Quality Assurance and Improvement.
Throughout his career Dr Ninov has been involved in the management of academic institutions, numerous research and consultancy projects, and has been recognised as a researcher within his field. In addition to this, he serves as an editor and reviewer for several academic journals and conferences, and as an external reviewer for hospitality and tourism management programmes. He also serves as Treasurer for EuroCHRIE.
Dr Ninov holds a Ph.D. degree in Hospitality Administration, and a Master of Science degree in Restaurant, Hotel, and Institutional Management from Texas Tech University in the USA. He also holds an MSc degree and a BSc degree in Tourism from Sofia University in Bulgaria.
Ivan was elected as Director on THE-ICE Board in November 2023.
Ms Isobel Stockdale – Director
Isobel Stockdale is the Head of the Centre for Contemporary Hospitality and Tourism in the Business School at the University of Derby, UK. The focus being academic development and leadership, management of the discipline including collaborative partner provision, quality assurance and governance and the development of external networks She has held a management position for 10 years and in education for over 25 years.
Isobel has worked in the role of programme leader and was instrumental in the development of the first spa management degree in the world and the establishment and running of an award-winning commercial day spa within the University.
Isobel was elected as Director on THE-ICE Board in November 2022.