Head chef becomes big boss in the Grand Hyatt

Find out his secrets to success.

Check out these refreshing responses from Grand Hyatt Singapore's hotel manager. Singapore Business Review caught up with him as he shared his journey from being a head chef to a hotel manager, taking us through his outlook as well as his goals as the current big boss.

SBR: What is your success story? What are the opportunities that came your way on your journey from being a head chef to a hotel manager?
Growing up in a family of restaurant owners and chefs, by the age of 5, I knew that I wanted to be a chef. My father was a chef and owned his own restaurant, so I was inspired to be a chef too. Though giving me his biggest blessings to become a chef, my father however always encouraged me that I could and should be more than just a chef, and to carefully consider what other career choices there were out there to help me attain my goals.

I eventually worked my way to become a chef, but taking his advice to heart, I enrolled for the Diploma in Hospitality from Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne through a special entry made available for chefs. Upon graduation, I knew I needed to get an internship in an English-speaking country as I did not speak a word of English then – that was when I saw an internship position at The Beaufort Sentosa in Singapore. After speaking to a senior from school about the country and the opportunities available, I packed my bags, sold my car and apartment and left for Singapore; I made a conscious effort to leave nothing to return to in Switzerland, and nothing to lose but all to gain in Singapore.

At the end of my internship in Singapore, I spoke to the hotel for a permanent position and was given an opportunity as a F&B training manager. Within a short span of 2 years, I rose through the ranks to become an assistant F&B manager, overseeing all F&B operations. I was then given the opportunity to join Hyatt, and since then, I have never looked back.

SBR: What makes you passionate about your position?
I grew up in the service industry and that is all that I’ve ever known. My parents owned and ran their own restaurant, so I have always been exposed to this industry. I like people and I like meeting people, that is what keeps me passionate about my position and the industry I’m in.

SBR: Conversely, what are the challenges you encountered and how did you overcome them?
My youth was a big challenge for me when I first arrived in Singapore, as I found it very hard to be accepted and recognized because of my age. When I first joined The Beaufort, I was reporting to my 50-year-old supervisor, but within the short span of 2 years, he ended up reporting to me. That made it hard to some people to accept me and the work I did. Thanks to amazing opportunities and pure luck, I have been able to overcome all these challenges and have been very blessed in my career.

SBR: What three goals are you focused on as a virtuoso in the field?
1) People
2) People
3) People

We are now on the verge of individuals from Gen X hitting their prime and are also witnessing the influx of Gen Y into our industry. I am constantly reminded of how drastically different each generation is in terms of their mindsets and way of living. My 3 main goals is ensuring that no matter which generation I come across, I am always able to understand and manage them well, so that we can succeed as a team.

SBR: What changes are you planning for?
We are in discussions to working closer with STB (Singapore tourism board) as well as SHA (Singapore hotels association). I intend to seize all opportunities and find ways to handle the sever manpower crunch we are facing in current times. I am also realigning my focus on implementing and innovating new ways to thinking creatively and using less resources to deliver more for our customers.

SBR: What are your key business philosophies?
Problems might seem difficult and daunting, but I truly believe that when you are going through something trying, just try imagining how easy it would be to you once the goal has been achieved. It’s just like climbing a mountain, it is daunting at first, but once you’re on the other side, the climb would have seemed so easy. That’s what keeps me going; knowing that challenges will always be overcome and that no problem is too great.

Brief personal background:

Olivier Lenoir, who has been with Grand Hyatt since 2000, joined Grand Hyatt Singapore as a Hotel Manager in 2011.

Beginning his career in 2000 with Grand Hyatt as an Outlet Manager in Singapore, Mr Lenoir has grown with the company through the years with subsequent postings at Grand Hyatt Jakarta, Indonesia, as Assistant Director of Food & Beverage. Prior to joining Grand Hyatt Singapore, he was the Executive Assistant Manager - Food & Beverage at Grand Hyatt Shenzhen, Guangdong in China.

Holding a Diploma in Hospitality from Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne, Mr Lenoir began his career in 1990 as an apprentice cook in the Hotel la Prairie in Switzerland and worked his way up the ranks till he was Head Chef at Restaurant de la Tour in 1995. 1997 then marked his move to Singapore as an Assistant Food & Beverage Manager at The Beaufort Hotel Sentosa, where he remained for three years before joining Hyatt.
The Swiss national is extremely fluent in French and English, and is moderately eloquent in German and Spanish. He also possesses a knack for picking up local accents and languages, loving to pepper his sentences with “tio bo” (which means “is that correct?” in Hokkien) and “kesian” (which means “poor thing” in Malay) to the amusement of his colleagues.

Apart from spending time with his loving wife and two beautiful children, he enjoys visiting new bars and restaurants, and has a great passion for photography and creating his own music.