THE-ICE VErifier Panel
THE-ICE VErified is an internationally recognised quality certification specifically developed for established Vocational Education and Training (VET) institutions offering programmes in tourism, hospitality, events, and culinary arts (TH&E).
THE-ICE VErifier Panel assesses the capacity and capability of prospective applicant institutions, providing a baseline institutional quality assessment aligned with THE-ICE International Standards of Excellence. As internationally recognised academics and experts, VErifiers support THE-ICE’s core objective of advancing quality enhancement across TH&E education.
Mr John A. Daly
THE-ICE VErifier
Academic Director, APAC, Swiss Education Group, Vietnam
Of Irish origin, John A. Daly is currently employed with Swiss Education Group in Vietnam. He previously served as Deputy Chair of the Board of Directors of the International Centre of Excellence in Tourism and Hospitality Education (THE-ICE) from 2019 to 2022. In earlier roles, he held the positions of Dean at Hotel Institute Montreux and Director of Quality Assurance at Swiss Education Group.
With a professional background in hospitality and educated in Ireland, John earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Hotel Management from Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) in 1995, followed by an MA in International Tourism from the University of Limerick in 2003.
He subsequently completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education with the Open University in 2006 and an MA in Education from the University of Derby in 2017. John also holds a Professional Certificate in e-Learning Ecologies from the University of Illinois.
After 10 years working in hospitality management across four- and five-star properties in New York, Paris, Malta, France and Ireland, John joined the Hotel Institute Montreux, Switzerland, in 2003 as a full-time lecturer. He subsequently moved into the role of Program Manager for hospitality programmes at Northwood University and was later promoted to Academic Dean of Hotel Institute Montreux.
In 2015, John was appointed Director of Quality Assurance for Switzerland’s largest hospitality education provider, Swiss Education Group, where he oversaw quality, accreditation and faculty development across five international hotel schools. His achievements in this role include securing Swiss and international accreditation for five schools, leading the first hotel school globally to achieve ‘Apple Distinguished School’ status, and providing quality leadership that supported five schools in reaching the top 10 of the QS World University Rankings.
John’s areas of expertise include academic leadership, educational quality assurance, process management, faculty training, learning and professional development.
View John’s LinkedIn profile here
Mr Emanuel Donhauser
THE-ICE VErifier
Director Suisse romande, Kalaidos University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland
Emanuel currently leads the Lausanne campus of Switzerland’s only federally accredited private University of Applied Sciences. He has also worked on various growth projects under his registered SwissEdEx brand, including strategy coaching at hospitality schools, leadership communication and training, sales and marketing for private education institutions, executive coaching, training programme design, and a uniquely innovative gastronomic concept start-up.
He brings more than 25 years’ experience in senior management and leadership roles across international organisations in the private education sector. His career spans single-owner entrepreneurial companies, multinational organisations, and private equity and venture capitalist corporations for German, Australian, British, US-American, Swiss, and Chinese employers.
As academic head of the largest provider of Swiss hospitality education for 17 years, Emanuel led a holistic digital transformation from physical textbooks and conventional teaching methods to open-source, tablet technology-supported, learning approaches for the 21st century. This work resulted in the first and only Apple Distinguished School Accreditation awarded to a hospitality school (2016). During this period, he oversaw the graduation of more than 12,000 full-time higher education students and led strategic academic product development across seven higher education campuses serving approximately 6,000 full-time boarding students annually. He also developed durable partnerships with industry partners and leading universities across the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, China, and Thailand.
A sought-after international speaker, Emanuel has delivered more than 100 masterclasses and guest lectures in over 20 countries. He has received several recognitions within the management education and hospitality sectors, including the “Nestlé Pro Gastronomia Award” at the 29th EuroCHRIE Congress in Dubrovnik, Croatia, and the AHLEI “Lamp of Knowledge Award” for Outstanding International Educator in Denver, Colorado.
View Emanuel’s LinkedIn profile here
Professor Scott Richardson, PhD.
THE-ICE VErifier
Deputy Chair, THE-ICE College of Fellows
Professor Richardson obtained his PhD from Griffith University, Australia, and has almost 20 years of experience in the higher education sector. He has held a number of senior academic leadership positions at leading institutions worldwide. These include: Academic Dean at Abu Dhabi Hospitality Academy, Les Roches, United Arab Emirates; Associate Dean, Business, at Torrens University Australia; Executive Dean at the Education Centre of Australia; Acting Managing Director and Executive Dean at the Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management, Dubai; Academic Director for RMIT University, Singapore; Director of Academic Affairs at Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School; and Associate Dean, Research and Development, at Taylor’s University, Malaysia. He has also been a board member of several global education associations.
Professor Richardson also has extensive industry experience, having worked in the tourism and hospitality sector for more than 10 years across hotels, tourism and event organisations, and the travel industry. He is the author of more than 50 publications in leading tourism and hospitality journals and conference proceedings and is a member of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation Panel of Tourism Experts.
View Scott’s LinkedIn profile here