Les Roches appoints new CEO

Les Roches Global Hospitality Education, one of the world’s leading hospitality business schools, has named Carlos Díez de la Lastra as its new Chief Executive Officer.

Appointed by the Governing Board, Díez de la Lastra will succeed the retiring Dr Christine Demen Meier, who in her three years at the helm of Les Roches oversaw extensive achievements such as the launch of Spark innovation center and a new Master’s in Hospitality Strategy and Digital Transformation.

Considered among the 150 most influential tourism professionals in Spain, Díez de la Lastra brings 25 years’ experience in the higher education sector, the last eight as the head of the Les Roches campus in Marbella, where he established the leadership of the institution in Spain and its expansion on an international scale.

Before joining Les Roches, he was Vice President of Expansion and Director General of the European University of the Canary Islands as part of the global network of Laureate International Universities. Díez de la Lastra has a proven track record in establishing strong links with managers and business leaders in the industry. He contributes to different expert focus groups, including the committee created by Turismo Costa del Sol to deal with pandemic challenges and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) online education committee.

Díez de la Lastra will leverage on this extensive experience and network to further position Les Roches at the forefront of hospitality digitalisation and innovation, overseeing expansion of the Les Roches international network comprising campuses in Switzerland (Crans-Montana), Spain (Marbella) and China (Shanghai) with close to 3,000 students and a team of 320 employees.

“I welcome the challenge of leading one of the best educational institutions in the world and taking over from Dr Christine Demen Meier’s magnificent legacy that will enable us to start this promising new stage of Les Roches with a strong foundation,” said Díez de la Lastra, who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Business Sciences from the Complutense University of Madrid and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from IEDE.

“We are in challenging times, yet full of opportunities in the industry. Education will not only act as a springboard for hospitality and tourism growth, but also as a renovator of many of its longstanding concepts. I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to lead this new stage at the global level with Les Roches.”