ALUMNI SUCCESS

Leonardo Buzov - Vulas
RIT Croatia Class of 2008
International Hospitality and Service Management

Employer: Mamaison Hotels & Residences
Job title: Global Key Account Manager

My passion for foreign languages combined with an outgoing personality somehow determined my career path in the field of hospitality.RIT Croatia played an important role by helping me to get my first valuable work experience abroad. All together I spent a bit less than 2 years working in front office and reservations departments for upscale resorts in North Carolina and New York, USA. In those moments I actually realized that I wanted to develop in this direction and do this for a living one day.

Today, I am a Global Key Account Manager for Mamaison Hotels & Residences, a unique chain of boutique hotels and residences in Central and Eastern Europe. I enjoy a certain level of independence in my position, in terms of setting my own targets, scheduling meetings with clients, and making my business travel plans. I enjoy a very professional work environment within the headquarter's team. I am based in Prague at the company's headquarters but travel a lot to other countries, either to visit our properties or to attend different fairs and sales events.

Life in Prague is another thing I enjoy about my current job, as I have my life completely organized here. As I am a very sociable person, I meet my friends for dinner or have friends from Croatia come here as well. The city itself is beautiful and has a historic spirit. Besides working and enjoying my free time, I am also enrolled in a Master's degree program in Professional and Business Communication at The University of New York in Prague. I hope to focus on corporate communications and media in the future. Overall, I am excited about my professional and personal development so far.

Finally, I would like to share some advice with current RIT Croatia students.

Be persistent, don't get overly emotional and never let anyone tell you that you are not good enough. Instead of criticizing society- do something about it. Invest in yourself by continuing your education, learn foreign languages, be open to new contacts, and whatever career path you choose, don't forget to have fun! Balancing work and fun really is possible.