Distinguished | Hospitality Leadership Podcast with Dean Upneja

We are proud to share from the BU SHA Hospitality Leadership Summit stage on April 10, 2026, the first LIVE podcast recording of The Simmer podcast. Hosted by Kristen Hawley , founder of Expedite, must-read news source about restaurant technology and the future of hospitality, and Brandon Barton , CEO of Bite, this podcast features Judy Thelen , co-founder and CEO of beli, the super-popular app fo...

What does it take to lead a 100+ year-old travel company into its next chapter without losing the soul that made it legendary?  In this episode of Distinguished, Dean Arun Upneja sits down with Jaclyn Leibl-Cote , President and CEO of Collette, a family-owned guided travel brand since 1918. As the first woman to lead the company in its century-long history, Jaclyn has earned her role through exper...

Restaurants are more than places to eat. They are where communities gather, cultures are shared, and everyday moments become lasting memories. But behind every restaurant is a complex reality, rising costs, workforce challenges, and shifting consumer expectations.  In this episode of The Distinguished, Dean Arun Upneja welcomes Jen Ziskin , Executive Director of Mass Restaurant United and co-owner...

What does it take to lead in a changing industry? In this episode of Distinguished, Dean Arun Upneja speaks with Jeff Gates , Chief Operating Officer of the Columbus Hospitality Group (CHG) , about the lessons that his many years in restaurants have taught him about leadership, resilience, and the power of people. From his first job at the dish table to overseeing some of Boston’s most celebrated...

Demetri Tsolakis, CEO of Xenia Greek Hospitality , reflected on a powerful, yet often forgotten idea: hospitality is not a transaction, but a human obligation. Drawing from the ancient Greek philosophy of philoxenia, Tsolakis described hospitality as the act of turning a stranger into a friend, an approach that shapes every decision across his restaurants.  The discussion also explored how this ph...

What do you do when the real estate market collapses?  If you’re Ian Livingstone, you buy.  In this episode of Distinguished, Dean Arun Upneja speaks with Ian Livingstone , the co-founder of London & Regional Properties , one of the UK’s largest private real estate groups, about what it really takes to build a £12 billion global empire, through booms, crashes, and everything in between.  Livin...

Most leaders talk about transforming hospitality. Bashar Wali actually walked away from a $150 million hotel portfolio to do it. The founder of This Assembly , Wali is building a new kind of hospitality ecosystem, one centered on emotion, belonging, and human connection rather than automation and efficiency. In this episode, Dean Arun Upneja speaks with Wali about why the future of hospitality isn...

When Sarah Diehl’s corporate HR role was eliminated, she called it “the best thing that could have happened.” Out of that setback came Empowered Hospitality, a consulting firm dedicated to helping restaurants and hotels build resilient, people-first teams.  In this conversation with Dean Arun Upneja, Sarah shares her four-pillar framework for talent management and explains why culture, onboarding,...

Imagine walking through the gilded corridors of a legendary hotel—where service feels like an art form, and every guest isn’t just remembered, but known.  Amanda Hyndman has helped shape one of the world’s most admired hotel brands. Beginning her journey with Mandarin Oriental nearly 20 years ago as a general manager, she has built meaningful, memorable guest experiences. Her 2023 appointment as C...

Although he wears the CEO suit and title, Ed Brown counters that he’s a chef at heart. He has bridged the world of white-tablecloth fine dining and high-scale institutional foodservice, without losing the soul of either.  Ed Brown began his career behind the line, rising through the world of fine dining to earn national acclaim as Executive Chef at The Sea Grill at Rockefeller Center. That same ph...

George Poll has spent decades building some of Long Island’s most celebrated restaurants. Alongside his brother, he’s crafted iconic dining experiences from Bryant & Cooper Steakhouse to Toku Modern Asian , blending culinary creativity with sharp business acumen. Recently, George took his expertise to Miami, where the journey to open Toku wasn’t exactly smooth sailing—facing all the challenges...

Set to reopen after a seven-year restoration, the Waldorf Astoria New York is poised to redefine ultra-luxury hospitality. In this episode, Managing Director Luigi Romaniello takes us through the journey of bringing the Waldorf Astoria back to life, from restoring storied frescoes and architectural details to creating highly personalized experiences for today’s sophisticated travelers. He shares h...

Kate Buhler, founder and president of Profitable to Train, is a leading expert in hospitality service excellence and profitability. With decades of experience across luxury brands including Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, Baccarat, Peninsula, and Bulgari, Kate is known for her unique approach to training that drives both employee satisfaction and financial success. Her n...

Aldau Development has earned a reputation for excellence in both Real Estate and Hospitality, with developments in Egypt and the United Kingdom. Their strategic partnerships with marquee brands such as Hyatt International, IHG, and Deutsche Hospitality have further cemented their standing internationally.  Boston University School of Hospitality and Questrom School of Business designed a customize...

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump both have proposed eliminating taxes on tips for service workers. While seemingly beneficial, it might just not add up according to renowned economics expert Larry Kotlikoff . Named one of the world’s 25 most influential economists by The Economist Magazine, Kotlikoff has advised the Federal Reserve, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and various other...

What does it take to truly redefine leadership in today's fast-paced world? Lori Mazan, co-founder and Chief Coaching Officer at Sounding Board, shares practical and transformative strategies to address this challenge. In her new book, Leadership Revolution: The Future of Developing Dynamic Leaders , Lori offers a fresh perspective that rethinks outdated leadership norms.  In this special pod...

The battle over raising the minimum wage for tipped workers and permitting tip pooling bounces to the Massachusetts ballot this November. Saru Jayaraman, President of One Fair Wage and Director of the Food Labor Research Center at UC Berkeley, argues that the current tipped wage structure perpetuates low pay and high turnover. Although the wage increase would occur over five years, opponents asser...

Beyond good, bad, and mediocre service, how much we tip and why we tip is rich with psychological implications. Find out what tipping reveals about us as consumers and our need for affirmation and societal status. Shedding light on the complexities behind tipping is nationally recognized expert Michael Lynn, Ph. D. , Professor of Services Marketing at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administr...

Recognized for her leadership, Dondra Ritzenthaler now sets sail toward a new horizon, taking the helm as Chief Executive Officer of Azamara Cruises, the award-winning, luxury cruise line based in Miami, Florida.  Dondra recently spent time at BU School of Hospitality as the Howard Johnson Executive in Residence, inspiring students and faculty with her passion for learning and mentorship. Dondra s...

Restaurant work is undeniably tough. Long hours, fierce competition, and thin profit margins characterize this demanding profession. The challenges only intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic, testing the resilience of workers and business owners alike.  Dining constitutes both an undeniable pleasure and a thriving business sector. It is integral to our lives and livelihood. In this Distinguishe...

TJ Callahan transformed neighborhood eateries into thriving “go-to” destinations with his acclaimed farm-to-table restaurants in the heart of Chicago. He is the co-founder and owner of Farm Bar and is the farmer at Brown Dog Farm, the Farm Bar farm in Southwestern Wisconsin. With an MBA in finance from the University of Chicago under his belt, he's stirring the pot on a topic affecting thousa...

Think back to your youthful days of travel, hostels along the way were a hub for forging connections with fellow wanderers and were part of the adventure. If you traveled in pre-Internet days, some 20-30 years ago, you didn’t always know what you were getting. The hostel you found in a guidebook could be off the beaten path and might have been not so “hospitable.”  Today, the landscape of hostels...

So, you want to be a C-suite executive? It will certainly give you a leg up to hear about the steps to filling those corner office suites from a search firm expert, Ann Fastiggi. To shed some light on the path to the C-suite, we continue our Leadership Series with Ann Fastiggi, a member of the Global Consumer Practice at Spencer Stuart , a global executive search and leadership advisory firm.  Wit...

Imagine the triumph of human ambition as we glide through the skies, a testament to our enduring quest to conquer the very elements — thirty thousand feet aloft, inside a slender cylinder of steel. Within this confined space, humanity gathers, shoulder to shoulder: a microcosm of society.  It's under these conditions that our distinguished guest today crafts an oasis of tranquility and impecc...

Continuing our Leadership Series, we spotlight Cindy Novotny, who earned the “Radical Mentor” moniker for her no-nonsense approach to delivering results in the areas of leadership, sales, and customer service excellence. Having traveled more than 10 million miles over the course of her career, Cindy helps emerging professionals to CEOs to fly past their comfort zone of “we’ve always done it this w...