Meet the Judges

Stephan Stokkermans is the Managing Director of Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin. Started in 1993 as Sales Manager at Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin and became the Managing Director of the family owned hotel 26 years later. Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin values the community of Noordwijk and that is why Stephan Stokkermans is also the chairman of the local Hospitality Association and a member of the local Entrepeneur Association (NOV).

Worldwide Stephan Stokkermans is a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts advisory board, also the National Delegate for Belgium and the Netherlands of the European Hotel Managers Association (EHMA) and a Board member of the Dutch chapter of SITE Global. In 2019 he received the Hotelier of the Year award from Preferred Hotels & Resorts

Willem van der Zee embodies innovative and personalised hospitality. Currently as Dir of Operations Pandox Belgium and as General Manager of The Hotel Brussels, he previously has helped numerous leading global hospitality, lifestyle, and travel companies streamline and optimize their vital business aspects like Operations Management, Asset Management, and People Management.

A pragmatic decision-maker, he puts passion and perseverance into the process to accomplish the set goals. He is a disruptive leader - driven by results, driven towards objectives, and driven with unflinching focus.

Vincent is a trend forecaster and partner at HBMEO, marketing agency for food & hospitality. He advises companies and governments on what we are going to eat, drink, and think in the future, as well as writing trend columns for various magazines.

Vincent has always been intrigued by hotels and wrote a book about his search for hospitality in 365 hotels in Amsterdam. He is currently researching the future of the industry by testing various innovations in the hotel room of the future, a living lab in the centre of Amsterdam.

Hospitality and innovation are the two key themes in Sander’s career which he spends in consultancy (Allegro INNovations) and in education (Hotelschool The Hague). A consultant on hospitality strategy and innovation, Sander has carried out strategic assignments for leading corporations. He also serves on various committees and boards, is a regular keynote speaker and is a columnist in the two leading Dutch hospitality magazines.

After my study at the Hotel Management School, I started my career in the organization and consultancy business for hospitality and specialized myself with legal study.

For now, I have been working for a long period at the branch organization Koninklijke Horeca Nederland (KHN) and in recent years as manager of our office in Amsterdam. From this office, we serve almost 2000 members with advice and organize and initiate platforms and theme meetings. I am also responsible for the local lobby for a favourable business environment.

As editor-in-chief of the hospitality platform Entree, Iris and her colleagues develop the online channels, the monthly magazine and the Entree Awards and the hotel industry is an important part of this. “I like entrepreneurs who surprise and offer consistent quality, despite the sometimes difficult circumstances and entrepreneurs with a good policy for employees.

The sector is bustling, and it is a privilege to be involved in this on a daily basis.” Iris likes to go to New York, Paris, and Antwerp to visit new establishments. She hopes that solo dining will break through in the Netherlands one day.

Stephanie van Oorschot (1988) is the Industry Relations Officer at Hotel Management School NHL Stenden in Leeuwarden. She is an alumna of NHL Stenden and Nyenrode Business University and started her career by building hospitality networks across Europe.

Stephanie has spearheaded initiatives such as Dutch alumni network HotelloTOP, European event catering association EPCAS and European hotel management school competition EMCup.

At Hotel Management School NHL Stenden, she has a leading role in intensifying the collaboration between educators and industry professionals. With over 3,000 students from more than 50 countries, Hotel Management School NHL Stenden is the largest and most internationally orientated hotel management school in Europe.