Professor Dr. Michail Toanoglou Academic Director, MSc in Hospitality Management (IMHI) & Professor of Management Practice (PMP), ESSEC Business School in France

Dr. Michail Toanoglou is the Academic Director of the MSc in Hospitality Management (IMHI) and a Professor of Management Practice (PMP) at ESSEC Business School, France. He brings a rare dual perspective to the field, combining over 30 years of senior leadership across the hospitality and tourism industry — including extensive experience as General Manager of four- and five-star resorts in Greece, as well as the sustainable management and branding of tourism destinations — with more than 15 years of teaching and academic program development across Europe and Asia, where he designed and launched international hospitality and tourism degrees at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels.

His teaching and research focus on hospitality strategy, service innovation, leadership, customer experience, and sustainable and regenerative tourism development. A recognized voice in executive development, he designs and delivers advanced, customized leadership programmes for leading global hospitality groups, including the Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL / Taj), where his recent work integrates circularity and sustainability frameworks with general-manager capability building. His approach places entrepreneurial thinking, value creation, and lasting impact at the heart of how the next generation of hospitality leaders is formed.

He is a GSTC-Certified Sustainability Expert and Trainer and holds the CHA (Certified Hotel Administrator) and CHE (Certified Hospitality Educator) designations from the American Hotel & Lodging Association. A founding member of the Greek tourism think tank EPOT, he contributes internationally to sustainable tourism, destination branding, and crisis-management initiatives, bridging academic excellence with applied industry practice.