As technology reshapes the hotel workplace, TFE Hotels has placed greater emphasis on the distinctly human capabilities needed to lead through change.
Building on more than a decade of investment in leadership development, TFE Hotels has become the first hotel group in New Zealand and Australia to create a pathway for workplace-developed leadership and human capabilities to be recognised through higher education.
The initiative followed the formal accreditation of TFE Hotels’ Future Leaders Program (FLP) and People Leaders Program (PLP), which are now recognised for university credit through eight Australian universities and higher education providers.
Antony Ritch, Chief Executive Officer of TFE Hotels, said the company’s success had always been built on its people, with leadership one of its most important competitive advantages.
“Buildings, brands and technology all matter, but it’s our people who bring hospitality to life. Strong, empowered leaders create the conditions for memorable guest experiences. They build engaged teams, invite new ideas and give people the confidence to grow,” said Ritch.
“That’s why ACADEME matters. It reflects our commitment to developing future-focused leaders who can help us reimagine hospitality across our people, products and platforms.”
In partnership with Capability.Co, these ACADEME programs have been independently reviewed and assured against the Working Futures Human Capability Standards.
Graduates receive portable digital credentials that verify the capabilities they have demonstrated through Capability.Co’s university and higher education partners: these credentials may also provide university credit through participating institutions.
The collaboration also creates a higher education pathway for People Leaders Program participants who complete all four advanced credentials.
Eligible participants can apply for Torrens University Australia’s Graduate Certificate of Applied Management, with prior workplace learning and demonstrated capability considered under the university’s approved academic processes. TFE Hotels will also sponsor the qualification for eligible participants who remain actively employed by the organisation.
Anita Villam, Front Office Manager at Rendezvous Heritage Auckland, was among the TFE team members whose workplace learning may now count towards further university study.
The accreditation recognised capabilities developed through workplace leadership experience, including communication, collaboration, adaptability, problem-solving, creativity, ethical judgement and leadership.
These transferable capabilities have become increasingly valuable as workplaces adapt to technological change and the growing use of artificial intelligence.
For Villam, the recognition was significant as was what it represented.
After discovering New Zealand online while studying hotel management in Budapest, she completed an internship in Queenstown, returned home to finish her degree and eventually relocated to Auckland in 2022, joining Rendezvous Heritage Auckland.
Since then, she has progressed into hotel leadership while completing TFE Hotels’ year-long People Leaders Program. It also helped her identify her next career move: hotel revenue management.
Combining her passion for working with people with her interest in numbers and commercial decision-making, it felt like a natural fit. Through the program, she was paired with TFE Hotels’ New Zealand Director of Revenue as a mentor.
Capability.Co CEO Tara Jacobsen said AI was bringing the value, and absence, of human capability into sharper focus.
“What AI is doing isn't just replacing human capability; it's accentuating where workforces and organisations don't have human capability and are not valuing it.”
Jacobsen said human capability was what made people future-ready, with demonstrated capabilities such as communication, trust, judgement, adaptability, problem-solving, and leading through change helping people adapt and respond as work changes.
“I've worked with many clients, big and small, big brands across Australia, but the level of commitment shown by the TFE leadership team to get this amazing opportunity off the ground and to recognise what you've done is unparalleled,” she said.
Since launching in 2012, more than 330 global team members have graduated from ACADEME, with 45 alumni now working as Hotel General Managers or Assistant Hotel Managers across TFE Hotels’ global portfolio.
More than 70 leaders contribute annually as facilitators, mentors and coaches. The most recent program data also shows 86 per cent of recent graduates have been promoted, highlighting ACADEME's role in strengthening TFE’s leadership pipeline.
