Famous Le Cordon Bleu’s new vision for Asia
Profile of Le Cordon Bleu VP Charles Cointreau
Charles Cointreau, APAC Vice President of Cordon Bleu
Charles Cointreau of Le Cordon Bleu
When Charles Cointreau, APAC Vice President of Le Cordon Bleu, the famed French hospitality and culinary school, arrived in Hong Kong in 2022, he set his sights on establishing the city as the school’s Asian base.
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He said, “I have two objectives: to build a local offering through partnerships with campuses throughout the region, and to set up our regional headquarters.”
The region’s huge potential drove the decision. “In Hong Kong, the Greater Bay area and the whole of China, I expect to have four or five more campuses within the next couple of years.”
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The bold ambition stems from a rich legacy and the prestige associated with the renowned Le Cordon Bleu brand.
Le Cordon Bleu’s brand endowment stems from a 130-year history, featuring many Michelin-starred winners and celebrated culinary mavericks among its more than half a million alumni worldwide.
Julia Child was one of these alumni. She graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in 1951 and then wrote her pivotal two-volume book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, to bridge the knowledge gap in gourmet cuisine for the American market. The success of the publication led to her own TV show, The French Chef, which propelled her into the pioneering strata of celebrity chefs and culinary stardom.
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For Charles, the success of the alumni and the fame garnered throughout its hundred-year-plus history progressively add to the multi-layered narrative of his professional and personal history, as Le Cordon Bleu is a family business.
Charles Cointreau was born into a family well established in the spirits world. Charles’ ancestors combined their knowledge of confectionery and apothecary, blending sweet and bitter orange peels with alcohol to create the unique Cointreau liquor in 1849. Cointreau is a key ingredient, found in every bar, and used in a multitude of cocktails such as the Cosmopolitan, Margarita and Sidecar. A dedicated website features hundreds of cocktail recipes featuring Cointreau.
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Cointreau’s provenance in the world of fine French gastronomy was further advanced with Charles’ grandfather’s marriage into the family of the esteemed Cognac maker Remy Martin.
Gourmet culinary school
With the connection both spirits businesses provided, the Cointreau family was well-plugged into the world of gourmet foods and was familiar with working with culinary schools and people representing the educational side of the industry.
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“We were all mingling. We knew each other and so forth, and my father saw an opportunity with Le Cordon Bleu, a well-established brand.”
Le Cordon Bleu, the oldest culinary school in France, began in 1895. It was founded by Marthe Distel, a journalist who established La Cuisiniere Bleu, a culinary magazine that provided cooking knowledge to the masses. The publication provided access, beyond the traditional boy’s club of chefs, to ordinary people such as domestic helpers and housewives. It was an innovative concept, providing coupons for live demonstrations of recipes being prepared. The novel idea gained popularity, and the first Le Cordon Bleu cooking school was established in October 1895.
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It was at the forefront of gastronomy training, and Le Cordon Bleu commenced during a period when French arts and culture were held in high regard. It welcomed its first Russian student in 1897 and its first Japanese student in 1905. By 1914, it had four schools based in Paris.
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Internationally, growth began with the establishment of its first school in London in 1933. One prestigious highlight of this school occurred in 1953, when Le Cordon Bleu London created a menu and a special dish, “Poulet Reine Elizabeth, for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation dinner. Made with boneless chicken seasoned with spices representative of the commonwealth, mixed with cream and mayonnaise and served cold, it became an iconic English dish now referred to as Coronation Chicken and is still available in UK pubs.
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In 1984, Charles’ father, Andre Cointreau, took over the presidency of Le Cordon Bleu. This critical step established his family’s introduction into the world of hospitality training and shaped Charles’ career.
The family business
Having been born and raised in Paris, Charles moved with his family to London when his father relocated there to develop the UK market. Frequently travelling back to France, Charles was involved in the family business from an early age. “I didn’t technically have a proper title or something inside the organisation; I was helping the Paris office a lot, on student services, scheduling, and basic logistical support.”
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Taking an unconventional route, Charles attended the University of South Australia to study in the Hospitality Management Program. After graduating in 2004, he worked in Singapore, followed by Korea and Japan.
In 2006, at a relatively young age, he was given a significant challenge when, after working as an assistant for a few months, he was appointed General Manager of Le Cordon Bleu Korea and Japan.
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“It was a bit rough at first. I learned a lot and hugely appreciated the opportunity.”
From this initial management role, he was given a broader scope of responsibility covering the entire Asia Pacific region during a time of tremendous growth. He spent over ten years based in Japan before moving to Hong Kong. His experiences reinforced his commitment to the region. “Ever since I did my studies in Australia, I stayed in Asia.”
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He now oversees twelve campuses in Korea, Japan, China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, and India, and is exploring opportunities in other countries.
“I’m participating in other areas of business growth also. As it is a family business, I wear multiple hats, and as we are growing at a relatively fast pace, I juggle a bunch of stuff.”
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All the stuff includes a broad ecosystem of training for degree and diploma-level programs, vocational certificates, and specialised courses in their core curriculum of cuisine, pastry, boulangerie [French bakery], wine, and hospitality management.
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In seeking business growth, Charles recognises the rise in global tourism and the diversification of food culture worldwide, which will require new skill sets and talent in the hospitality sector. To be responsive to each new market, he highlights the presentation of local culinary heritage.
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“To modernise the pedagogical approach, everywhere we go, we teach the local culinary scene. We also introduce cuisines from other countries that are gaining popularity. We teach Japanese cuisine in Japan; we do Korean cuisine in Korea.”
With a global network of thirty-five campuses across twenty countries, he emphasises that “at our heart, we are educators of culinary arts and hospitality, and we have the ambition to be as broad and relevant as possible.”
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Catering to a changing scope, as well as for edutainment (a blend of education and entertainment) by offering short courses for the masses who want experiential programs, is adding to his task of providing for vast geographical and educational needs. He noted that “the landscape has moved so fast in terms of food democratisation, it’s become such a big consumer thing now and having access to those types of knowledge is in high demand.”
Wanting to prepare for these new challenges, Charles decided that he, too, needed to acquire a new skill set to face the long and dynamic road ahead. He reached a point in his career where he felt that further formal education was necessary.
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“I’ve been a man on the ground, literally in different countries, trying to manage organisations. I hope to be a better manager, but what you do notice is that there’s a lot of stuff you think you know, but then you realise you must really relearn completely.”
World’s No. 1 Kellogg-HKUST Executive MBA program
Being in academia, he notes that formal qualifications matter. Having seen many people in similar positions earn an MBA, he believed this was the best path forward.
Shopping for a school with an MBA program, he was pleased to discover one located in Hong Kong, at the main campus of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) in Clearwater Bay, which was conveniently near his home.
In 2022, Charles enrolled in the Kellogg-HKUST Executive MBA Program. “I had heard about this program before, and it had a good reputation and was ranked the World’s No. 1 EMBA; it was a nice coincidence and made so much sense.”
Thinking ahead for the future of his business, he sought specifically for a program that would help him upgrade and make professional connections.
“It is the number one thing people think about when they do an MBA; gaining a network of valuable contacts is what I went for.”
Working in the delivery of education and having previous experience implementing an MBA program in hospitality management in Korea, he was discerning.
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“I saw that the Kellogg-HKUST Program had a legacy, with many years delivering quality graduates who bridge an American and Chinese perspective, and this had added value for me.”
Bringing in top academics from the Kellogg School of Management and HKUST, Charles believed he had the finest educators from both East and West.
Charles Cointreau with fellow Kellogg-HKUST Executive MBA students
He found the core courses, which incorporated practical theories, such as Understanding Consumer Psychology, to be very relevant.
“I’m naturally keen on marketing, so understanding consumer patterns particularly resonated with me.”
In Operations Management, he was able to apply key takeaways immediately.
“In operations, there are a few ways to rationalise, quantify and optimise things. Having more theory was quite useful. I learned some things directly applicable to my type of business.”
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Charles also found tremendous value in other courses. “Accounting, Finance and Value Investing, which everybody loves, was something I was not initially looking for; getting a refresher on those was very useful and eye-opening.”
As part of the requirement for his degree, he took several global electives at the partner schools in Beijing, Chicago, and Miami. These occasions provided him with the opportunity to learn from an even broader range of professors and cohorts from around the world.
Charles Cointreau receives the Kellogg-HKUST Executive MBA degree
After a few years of juggling the demands of work, travel, and studies, Charles has accomplished his goal – graduating with an MBA degree.
“I am still trying to digest every bit and piece and to distil the nuggets that I have identified as relevant for me.”
Charles has plenty of time for this and to continue learning. As an alumnus, he has access to a range of events and opportunities to audit future courses with unlimited lifetime access to top-tier faculty on any of the network campuses.
And he will also have continuous help. The network he was looking for, he found.
“Honestly, I love everybody, particularly my original cohort. They are exceptional. The diversity, the smarts, and the kindness of the people – every single one of them I really adore. The Kellogg-HKUST motto of having high-impact, low-ego leaders in the program is true.”
The programs demanding studies, shared by this cohort of senior executives from around the world, promoted deep conversations that resulted in genuine friendships.
“We were folks with different lives and industries, but we really clicked on the intellectual level. And it was such a rich exchange of ideas that it was outstanding.”
Especially relevant are the new connections he has formed with individuals who bring unique perspectives to the hospitality industry. He now regularly calls them to gain valuable insights and honest advice.
Charles summarises, “I have built up an industry network, who are closer than just industry friends. They are true friends.”
Text Cammy Yiu and photos Charles Cointreau and Le Cordon Bleu
