Judy Hou is the Managing Director of the Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management in Dubai, a leading hospitality institution within the GCC region founded by the Jumeirah Hotel Group and Dubai Holding with a mission to develop future leaders for the industry and providing thought leadership on regional/global tourism and hospitality trends.

Ms Hou has devoted her career to hospitality and education, with a focus on digital learning innovation, cross generational/cultural experiences for the global learner and change management. With joint American and Taiwanese nationality, Judy Hou has over 20 years’ experience at some of the finest brands in international hospitality organizations and higher education institutions spanning across North America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

On the hotel management side Ms Hou has worked with Swissôtel, Park Hyatt and Mandarin Oriental. From the education side, Ms Hou has held senior positions with renowned Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne in Switzerland, School of Hotel & Tourism Management at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Les Roches Jin Jiang International Hotel Management College in Shanghai, and the Glion Institute of Higher Education in Switzerland and UK.

Fluent in English and Mandarin, Judy Hou graduated from Columbia University in New York, has a MBA degree in International Hospitality Management from Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne and a doctoral degree in Business Administration from Walden University. Her publications have included works on digital marketing, brand loyalty and ‘Gen Y’ in leading hospitality and management journals. As well as being an in-demand speaker and lecturer on hospitality management, she has also sat on editorial, advisory and management boards of a number of institutions in the sector.