IIHM Goa

Sameer Mehta is the Director at IIHM Goa. He is a dynamic leader with a vision to become the best by providing quality education through pragmatic learning. He believes in evolution by making sure to develop holistically. Read here what he has to say in his interview.

What are the key factors that keep you connected with the education sector?

“It helps to stay associated with the current trends”

I have had the benefit of being involved in operational hospitality for almost seven years. The good thing about being involved in a subject with a vocational nature is that you are learning exactly what is required from you at the job front. I believe it is this very fact that has kept me interested in the education sector. The modules that are taught in hospitality education are evolving as quickly as the industry itself. Being in this position keeps me on my toes! 

That, and the fact that young minds are far more creative, keeps me stuck to what I do. My students teach me a lot of stuff, and learning is a transactional process at IIHM. 

What is your philosophy of leadership? How would you describe your leadership style?

“It is essential to be lucrative as each individual is different from other”

Over the years, I have realized that Leadership cannot be a specific style throughout your life. Different situations demand different outlooks. Different people require different leadership tools. Whatever I am today is because of the work I do with people. Therefore, I firmly believe in the hospitality mantra that If you take care of your people, your people take care of your work. Education is highly transactional. It does not proceed with just one way traffic. Therefore, in my understanding, any leader in education will have to be open to discussions and, most importantly, acceptance.

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How do you strategize about the key programs and plans for the marketing and administration of your school?

“The International Institute of Hotel Management has a very novel culture of education”

The curriculum is updated every year, in order to ensure relevance. During the pandemic, IIHM organized a series of talk shows with the most prominent hospitality leaders globally, to identify how the hospitality industry would change, and simultaneously how the requirements from the hospitality personnel differed from the past. We always place our students first which automatically translates into holistic development, rather than just completion of an educational qualification. One of the recent additions was our Sahas program, which benefits students who want to pursue entrepreneurship. Professional development aside, IIHM also guides the students towards their social responsibilities. One of our notable successes has been the Food Soldier program, shadowing the United National Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger. The aim is to develop our students into cutting edge professionals of hospitality, while also developing as a responsible individual of the society, and ensuring that they are, in the end, good human beings.

How does the curriculum of International Institute of Hotel Management Goa ensure the best practice of industry?

“IIHM is renowned for its global curriculum”

Being a part of one of the largest Hotel School chains in Asia, IIHM Goa has certain benefits. We strictly believe that education today is to support the industry for tomorrow. Hence, the relevance of the curriculum is significant to us. Simultaneously, provision for the students to learn from Internationally renowned experts is mandatory for us. IIHM organizes International Wine Tours, Culinary tours to different countries, which are hotbeds for those fields. For example, Wine tours happen in countries like France, Italy, Spain, etc.

Along with that, IIHM keeps pushing the students through various events and competitions to ensure that their yearning to better themselves is alive. Our most prominent best practice is that we try and make learning a fun activity rather than a mode of mugging up information. Students are encouraged to analyze and ask questions. 

What do you think your roles and responsibilities to the university and the students are?

“I ensure that the institution continuously evolve as the provider of quality education”

I firmly believe that my primary responsibility is to provide the very best education option to the students. To achieve this, I find that ensuring that my team is highly energized and happy works wonders. Similarly, important is the connection that, as an institution, IIHM should provide the students. This actively means that we strive hard to have one of the industry's best networks and otherwise. IIHM Goa is currently the most followed college in the state, with over 47000 likes on Facebook alone. Moreover, we connect with other International Hospitality Institutions and Hospitality providers to ensure that our students are recognized globally.

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What would you like people to know about your college they may not know?

“We have one of the most aesthetic campus in India”

IIHM Goa is the most beautiful among all the branches of IIHMs. Spread over 20 acres, IIHM Goa is sprawled over a perennially green landscape and boasts of a fully functional Resort on the campus. It helps the students overcome the initial scare of being in a commercially viable space. Moreover, it provides our students with a sheltered environment where they can still learn on the job and understand the commerce part of hospitality.