Meet Doctor Raymond Bickson
May 22, 2006

Johnson & Wales University, USA, has conferred the Doctor of Business Administration in Hospitality Management, Honoris Causa, on Raymond Bickson, managing director, Indian Hotels.

Raymond was invited to attend the Alan Shawn Feinstein Graduate School graduation ceremony in Rhode Island on Thursday, May 18, 2006, where he received the honorary degree and served as commencement speaker. Formal commencement activities began with the Honorary Degree Recipient Reception at 4 pm. In addition to the Graduate School Reception and Commencement Ceremony, Raymond was also invited to attend the university's president's reception and dinner on Friday, May 19, 2006.

The Johnson & Wales University offers majors and degree programmes at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral level in business, hospitality, culinary arts and technology. It recognises distinguished individuals, whose achievements can serve as an inspiration to its students. Considering Raymond's exemplary accomplishments, the university invited him into its honorary class of 2006.

Talking on his achievement, Raymond said, "The receipt of this honorary doctorate from Johnson & Wales University highlights the prestige in which the world continues to look at India today as a travel and tourism mecca, and for the further growth of travel and hospitality in the world today. I am proud to receive this doctorate on behalf of IHCL and only wish that all my colleagues could be there as well".

Johnson & Wales conferred many other distinguished people from the hospitality industry with honorary degrees. At the Graduate Ceremony where Raymond was bestowed upon his honorary degree, doctor Richard Freeland, president, Northeastern University, received the 'Doctor of Business Administration' degree. Raymond was the speaker at the ceremony.

At the Business, Hospitality, & Technology Ceremony, Jon L Luther, chief executive officer, Dunkin' Brands, was honoured with the 'Doctor of Business Administration' degree, while Darryl Wade, senior vice president and chief operating officer, Legal Sea Foods, Inc, received the 'Doctor of Business Administration in Foodservice Management' degree. Luther posed as the speaker here.

At the College of Culinary Arts Ceremony, Glenn Davenport, president and chief executive officer, Morrison Management Specialists, was presented the 'Doctor of Culinary Arts' degree, while Tom B Klein, chairman and chief executive officer, Rodney Strong Vineyards, received his 'Doctor of Oenology' degree. Davenport was the speaker.

Raymond studied at l'Ecole Hôtelière, Lausanne Goethe Institute, Berlin, and Université Sorbonne, Paris. He holds a graduate degree in Advanced Management Programme of Harvard Business School, Boston. He is educated in languages, French culture, hotel services, cooking and financial management from Cornell University, New York.

The list of his international experience is exhaustive. Raymond worked in the kitchens of Hilton Berlin in 1973. He then moved on to work in Hôtel Plaza Athénée, Paris; Raffles Le Montreux Palace, Switzerland; and Kahala Hilton, Honolulu; where he worked on and off for around eight years.

In 1977, he joined Regent International Hotels as an assistant guest services manager at Hyatt Regency Cerromar Beach Resort & Casino, Dorado, in Puerto Rico. He opened Mayfair Regent, New York in 1979, where he became an assistant general manager. In 1981, he served as the resident manager for Mayfair Regent Hotel, Chicago, and in 1984 as the executive assistant manager for The Regent, Melbourne. Later, he worked as a project manager for Regent International Hotels in China, and as a chief consultant for the restoration of the erstwhile Cathay Hotel and Palace Hotel (now known as The Peace Hotel), Shanghai. In 1988 he joined The Mark Hotel, New York, as a general manager.

In December 2002, Raymond joined Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces as a chief operating officer in Luxury SBU, and later went on to become the executive director on the board of Indian Hotels.

In the past Raymond has been voted as one of the 'Top 10 Best Hotel Managers' by Leaders Magazine from 1997-2002, and as the 'Best Hotelier in the World' by the Gallivanter's Guide in 2002. He was also nominated for the 2002 'Independent Hotelier of the World' award by HOTELS Magazine.