Ray Florian Iunius

Ray Florian Iunius (born 28 October 1956) is a Romanian-Switzerland professor and hospitality professional, best known for his long-time association with École hôtelière de Lausanne (1998-2019), co-founder and CEO of Winsedswiss Education Group (since 2020) and author of several books and articles on hospitality and the service sector. He routinely advocates the importance of education for bettering societies throughout his media appearances.. and has been involved in a variety of educational projects both in Switzerland and throughout the world
== Formation and early career ==
Ray Iunius was born in Brașov, where he completed a Bachelor of Science from the Transilvania University of Brașov (1975-1980), earning his Engineering Diploma with a specialization in Technological Equipment. During this formative years he was first introduced to the dual education model, which he has later been advocating as an optimal solution for creating graduates with high employability. He worked for two years in the Roman (vehicle manufacturer) truck factory as an engineer intern in development projects for the steel foundry.
In 1983 he took a job as lecturer in the Transilvania University of Brașov, which he held until 1991. During this time, he was enrolled in a doctoral programme in Technical Sciences (1988-1995) within the University.
In 1991 Iunius travelled to Switzerland as an MBA student in the Faculty of Business and Economics (HEC) of the University of Lausanne, where he earned a diploma in 1992. He returned to Romania for a short time before deciding to move to Switzerland permanently, where he took a position as researcher and assistant (1993-1998) in HEC. During 1996 and 1997 he also served as the faculty’s MBA deputy administrator. Furthermore, he was a member of the Academic Council of the university between 1993-1997.
== The EHL period ==
In 1998 Ray Iunius was approached by École hôtelière de Lausanne, which was then in the process of becoming associated by convention to the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland (HES-SO), and he joined the team carrying out the project. Later he created and coordinated the Master of Hospitality Administration (MHA) pilot programme of EHL. In the year 2000 Iunius founded the programme Student Business Projects and acted as its development director until 2002. He contributed to EHL’s obtaining an accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) in 2004, the first such accreditation of a hotel management school in Europe.
Transitioning from the academic career to the business ventures of EHL, in 2002 he created and managed the EHL Institute of Technology and Entrepreneurship (EHLITE), a think tank for creativity and innovation management in the hospitality industry. He also set up the EHLITE magazine and served as publication director. He continued as founder and director of INTEHL (Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship), the first dedicated hospitality business incubator. He held the position until 2010.
In 2010 Iunius was named Deputy to the General Director of EHL, being the head of Business Development and Partnership and responsible with fundraising. During the five years when he held the position, he assisted students in launching successful start-ups and had an important overall contribution to increasing the university’s international awareness.
At around the same time, following a series of visits by King Michael I of Romania to EHL, a joint project was drafted to create in Romania a postgraduate management school for middle managers in hospitality. This became the Royal Institute of Hospitality Management, jointly ran by the Romanian IRECSON Institute and Lausanne Hospitality Consulting (a division of the EHL Group which provides business consulting services and tailor-made training programmes mainly for the hospitality sector) under the patronage of the Royal House of Romania. The diploma programme ran for three years (2007-2009) with Ray Iunius as director.
Between 2011-2016, Iunius acted as member of the EHL Executive Committee in charge of the Business Development & Marketing department, and worked towards increasing the school’s business volume, profitability and global visibility, helping to elaborating the global strategy of the EHL Group. He was also involved in EHL’s buying, in 2013, of the Swiss School of Tourism and Hospitality AG in Passugg, and integrating it in the EHL holding.
In 2016 he moved to Lausanne Hospitality Consulting as director of business development. Building on previous experience in the group, he was actively involved in increasing the international reach of EHL and the elaboration of lifelong learning programmes. He held the position until 2019.
In 2017 he spearheaded the signing of a partnership between EHL and the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies (ASE), through which the two institutions developed a postgraduate diploma for hospitality professionals, which is ongoing as of 2022.
== winsedswiss and current projects ==
In 2019 Ray Iunius was approached by Dușan Wilms, former CEO of Metro AG, with the proposal to jointly start a private educational venture in Romania and Serbia, which would train future professionals for the hospitality industry through the acquisition of the vocational education and training license VET by EHL. 
In 2019, Winsedswiss Education Group SA (WEG) Switzerland opened branches in Bucharest and Belgrade. The original focus of winsedswiss was expanded to encompass general education (through the association with Fundația Didactica in Romania, which runs kindergartens and schools under the Eri by winsedswiss brand) and other lifelong learning programmes in the field of services. Ray Iunius serves as CEO in WEG.
In his current capacity, his activities revolve towards positioning WEG as a provider of private education catered to all life stages (from kindergarten up and throughout the professional career). In addition to the educational branch, WEG also provides hotel management activities, as well as operational and strategic consulting in the services sector.
In 2020, Ray Iunius instrumented the opening of WEG’s first Academy of Hospitality using the EHL license, ohma by winsedswiss, in Oradea, followed the same year with another centre in Belgrade and in 2021 with a third in Brașov.
An outspoken supporter of education, Iunius has been in permanent contact with Romanian key figures from across the political spectrum and with industry representatives to promote educational reforms and the implementation of Swiss know-how. In 2020 he was decorated by Romanian president Klaus Iohannis with the order ‘Meritul pentru Învățământ’ (Merit for the Education) in rank of ‘Comandor’ (Commander), for his contribution to consolidating and developing bilateral relations between Romania and the Swiss Confederation, on both academic and scientific avenues
He is also a visiting professor (since 2015) in HEC at the University of Lausanne, teaching service operation management in the bachelor programme and coordinating consulting strategy projects in the master programme.
== Personal life and other commitments ==
Ray Iunius is married and has two children. Since moving to Switzerland, has has lived in Écublens, Vaud|Ecublens, Vaud Canton, where he also served as communal councillor between 2012-2016. He is fluent in Romanian (mother tongue), French and English, and has a working knowledge of German and Italian.
He held various positions in administrative bodies:
* ESTINVEST Switzerland – 1993-2000
* Royal Foundation for Hospitality Management Romania – 2002-2006
* International Foundation for World Environment, Switzerland – 2002-2010
Iunius also completed a second Ph.D. in Economic Sciences (Management) from HEC, University of Lausanne, during 2000-2005.
== Publications ==
Ray Iunius has authored or co-authored a number of books and scholarly articles cantered on hospitality concepts. The following is a selected list of publications.
* Competing in Central Eastern Europe: perspectives and developments, with Colin Johnson (1999), article in the International Journal of Hospitality Management
* Industrie de l'accueil, with Stefan Fraenkel, De Boeck Supérieur (2007), , also published in Romanian as Industria ospitalității, Institutul IRECSON (2011), 
* Hotellerie de luxe - Productivite, qualite, rentabilite, with Stefan Fraenkel, De Boeck Supérieur (2009), 
* La gestion des spas, with Stefan Fraenkel, De Boeck Supérieur (2012), 
* Un hôtel, quel modèle?, with Stefan Fraenkel, De Boeck Supérieur (2015), 
* The Lausanne Report: Shaping the Future of Hospitality – outlook 2030, as part of a specially commissioned EHL team, published by EHL (2016)
Category:1956 births
Category:Romanian academics
Category:Author
Category:Romanian chief executives