On behalf of the management of The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited (HSH), we are delighted and proud to announce that Mr Felix Bieger has been honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the École hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL). EHL is the leading hospitality management school in Switzerland and is consistently regarded as the best hospitality school in the world. The award was presented by CEO of EHL Group, Michel Rochat, during a Gala event in Switzerland on 12 November 2016.
Mr. Bieger commented: “I am so happy, proud, excited, and very honoured to receive this award from EHL, which is considered the best university for our profession the world over. I would like to say that should I be young again, I would do it all over again. Being a hotelier is the very best profession – it is so rewarding and in spite of long hours, just fantastic.
Mr Bieger continued: “My very special thanks go to The Honourable Sir Michael Kadoorie, our Chairman, his late parents Lord Lawrence and Lady Kadoorie, his late uncle Sir Horace Kadoorie, who have guided and inspired me over the years. I would also like to thank Clement Kwok, our CEO, who has led the company into a new era of expansion and innovation; Peter Borer, our Chief Operating Officer, a very special friend and supporter, and all my colleagues at our hotels. I would also like to acknowledge Mr Paul Barraud, my former professor at EHL.”
A prominent figure in the hotel industry, Mr Bieger is a veteran with almost 70 years of hotel experience. His career started in 1946 as a kitchen porter during his school holidays, and later he became a cook apprentice in Baden, Switzerland in 1947. He left Switzerland for the Jersey Channel Islands in 1953 and worked as a Chef on the SS CHUSAN, the first British passenger line to sail to Japan after the Second World War.
Throughout his half-century career with HSH, Mr Bieger was responsible for a wide range of positions. In 1954 he joined HSH as a Chef at The Repulse Bay, later becoming the first General Manager of Swire Air Catering in 1968, which was a joint venture between The Peninsula and Cathay Pacific. He held the position of General Manager of The Peninsula Hong Kong three times during the years 1970-77, 1980-81 and 1990-94, with a stint as General Manager of The Peninsula Manila in 1977. Officially retired in 1997, he continued as a special consultant and adviser to the company, which included overseeing the group’s Quail Lodge and Golf Club property in Carmel, California in 2001.
A Swiss national, Mr Bieger graduated from the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne in 1959.
For further information, please contact:
The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels
Lynne Mulholland
Director, Corporate Affairs
Tel: +852 2840 7152
Mobile +852 6718 8219
Email: lynnemulholland@peninsula.com
Website: www.hshgroup.com www.peninsula.com
Lilian Lau
Manager, Corporate Affairs
Tel: +852 2840 7743
Mobile: +852 9611 0502
Email: lilianlau@peninsula.com
The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited (HSH)
Incorporated in 1866 and listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong (00045), HSH is the holding company of a Group which is engaged in the ownership, development and management of prestigious hotel, commercial and residential properties in key locations in Asia, the United States and Europe, as well as the provision of transport, club management and other services. The Peninsula Hotels portfolio comprises The Peninsula Hong Kong, The Peninsula Shanghai, The Peninsula Beijing, The Peninsula Tokyo, The Peninsula Bangkok, The Peninsula Manila, The Peninsula New York, The Peninsula Chicago, The Peninsula Beverly Hills, and The Peninsula Paris. Projects under development include The Peninsula London, The Peninsula Yangon and The Peninsula Istanbul. The property portfolio of the Group includes The Repulse Bay Complex, The Peak Tower and St. John’s Building in Hong Kong; The Landmark in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; 1-5 Grosvenor Place in London, UK, and 21 avenue Kléber in Paris, France. The clubs and services portfolio of the Group includes The Peak Tram in Hong Kong; Thai Country Club in Bangkok, Thailand; Quail Lodge & Golf Club in Carmel, California; Peninsula Clubs and Consultancy Services which includes The Hong Kong Club, The Hong Kong Bankers’ Club and Butterfields; Peninsula Merchandising, and Tai Pan Laundry in Hong Kong.