Eddy Kohlmann C.
Cornell University
Eddy's Story
Born and raised in Mexico City by an American mom and a German dad, Eddy grew up in a culturally rich household with deep ties to the hospitality industry, thanks to the family’s catering business. His fondness for numbers and passion for solving problems inspired him to study chemical engineering with the objective of creating unique products and new solutions.
He began his career at a management consulting company where he focused on oil & gas, banking, and retail projects before going to work on digital projects for one of Mexico’s premier banks. Throughout his professional career, his relationship with the family business remained strong, giving him the opportunity to meet and to work with incredible people from Mexico’s hospitality industry. This lasting interplay finally led him to the Master of Management in Hospitality (MMH) program at Cornell. This program has allowed him to draw upon his varied experiences to develop new hospitality opportunities with a focus on strategy, finance, and operations.
“While this is the first time I am participating in a competition of this nature, I've focused throughout my career on creating a positive impact on others and on the world we live in. I identified immediately with the SHC since it spoke to me on several levels: as an opportunity to make an impact on the industry, as a platform to propose innovative hospitality solutions, and as a forum where I can inspire others to have more sustainable hospitality ideas. With cultural/ethnic roots tracing back to three countries and a lifelong window into hospitality, I can appreciate the growing need for sustainable solutions in our industry across the spectrum: to protect endangered heritage, promote social development, and build equitable governance in developing markets. The SHC competition–together with the NEOM project –pushed my team and I to think of hospitality in a completely different way. I'm excited to see the potential and evolution of this amazing project over the upcoming months.”
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NIMBUS - SOAR WITH YOUR IMAGINATION
We believe full-spectrum sustainability across development, operations, and strategic vision is central to the future of hospitality—for external and internal reasons. From an external perspective, our industry must play its part in the growing worldwide efforts toward creating a sustainable global society and economy—a critical need of the hour. However, the internal reason may be more pressing: customers are increasingly seeking bespoke, authentic experiences steeped in the natural and cultural heritage of their destination. Standardized, big-box hospitality may continue to lose favor with the modern traveler who wants new, unique experiences delivered in a sustainable manner. To thrive in such a future, leisure hospitality must work to preserve and celebrate such heritage and offer guests an unprecedented immersion in it.
NIMBUS embodies this vision: a carbon-neutral operating model that offers authentic and thrilling excursions while protecting the very destinations we deliver visitors to, and leaving no footprint.
