Luxury Hospitality Strategist. Global Operator. Brand Builder.

A global hospitality leader with senior operational experience across Rosewood, Hyatt and Starwood.

Exploring leadership, operational excellence and the making of world-class hospitality brands.

Achim Lenders started working in a kitchen at just 14 years old.

What followed was a career that took him from chef to senior leadership roles across Hyatt, Starwood and Rosewood, overseeing hotels, restaurants and operations around the world.

But this conversation is not simply about career progression.

It is about what leadership costs.
What pressure teaches you.
And what it takes to keep growing over decades.

Achim reflects on the discipline required to build strong foundations, the failures that taught him the most and why growth often begins when you deliberately leave your comfort zone.

We discuss the difference between a manager and a leader.

Why great hotels and restaurants need soul and character.

Why one high performer can sometimes damage an entire team.

And why true leadership means creating a vision people understand — even when you are no longer in the room.

The conversation also becomes personal.

Achim speaks about missed family milestones, the support of his wife, the loneliness that can come with senior leadership and the importance of writing down clear goals.

One of his most powerful habits was remarkably simple.

He invested 10% of his salary in his own development and dedicated one hour every day to learning.

Simple.

But imagine the compound effect over decades.

Talent helps.

But discipline, curiosity and the willingness to keep improving are what build a career that lasts.

What are you deliberately doing today to become the leader you want to be tomorrow?

Chef Willy Trullàs Moreno has spent nearly three decades building restaurants, leading teams and developing a style of cooking that carries his Spanish roots across Asia. But behind the food is a much bigger story about discipline, curiosity, adaptability and how a definition of success changes over time.

Growing up in Catalonia, food was already part of the rhythm of life. Wild mushrooms in the Pyrenees, seasonal produce, family meals and restaurant visits eventually led Willy into professional kitchens. His training in France exposed him to extraordinary precision and discipline, but also to an intensity that shaped the kind of leader he later chose to become.

He kept the standards, but changed the culture.

That balance runs throughout his career. Willy believes in serious preparation, exceptional ingredients and consistency, but also in creating an environment where people feel respected and motivated. His restaurants combine Spanish identity with an understanding of how people actually eat in places such as Shanghai and Bangkok.

The conversation also explores what happens beyond the plate. Willy speaks about learning from Ferran Adrià, Joël Robuchon and Pierre Gagnaire, travelling to meet producers, studying markets before opening restaurants, making mistakes even after decades of experience and understanding why the customer ultimately decides whether an idea succeeds.

Perhaps most importantly, his idea of ambition has evolved. There was a time when success meant opening the next restaurant and chasing the next opportunity. Today, it also means protecting time with his family, being present for his children and continuing to cook without allowing growth to consume everything else.

This is a conversation about becoming a better chef, but also about becoming a better leader and knowing what is worth protecting along the way.

How has your definition of success changed as you have grown?

Willy Trullàs Moreno | Chef, Restaurateur and Hospitality Leader

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Antonio Lai was 16 years old when he went to hospitality training school. His school results weren't great. So he got a certificate in food and beverage and housekeeping and started looking for work.

Nobody wanted an 18-year-old checking them in at a hotel. So he ended up as a server.

Then one day he saw a bartender juggling bottles like Tom Cruise. He knew immediately: that's what I want to do.

Years passed. He worked his way up through nightclubs during the golden era of cocktails. But something was missing. He wanted to create something different.

At 30 years old, he went to Italy for barista training. While there, he found a book about molecular mixology. Caviar. Lasers. Different techniques to create drinks. He thought: this is it.

He taught himself. Went to London. Went to Spain. Learned from pioneers. Paid for everything himself. Nobody in Hong Kong was doing this. So he decided to be first.

He met Charlene through a mutual connection. She had money. He had knowledge. Together they opened Quinary in 2012.

The first year, they made Asia's 50 Best list. Year after year, consistently ranked. While bars opened and closed around them, Quinary stayed.

How? Consistency. From the drinks to the service. Every day, whether in Hong Kong or traveling globally, Antonio bars hops. Tastes drinks. Learns. He still makes drinks behind the bar. He still shows up.

After 12 years, most bars are gone. Quinary is still here. Because he refused to copy what everyone else was doing. Because he stayed curious. Because he believed in basics first, innovation second.

His advice to young bartenders: learn to walk before you run. Master the classics. Then innovate.

What would you create if you had to be first at it?

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