Yeon Woo (Andy) Lee

Twenty five year old Yeon Woo Lee (Andy) devotes virtually every waking hour to hospitality.

Not only is he studying for his National Diploma in Hospitality Management at NZMA, but he also holds down a full time job at Waipuna Hotel and Conference Centre, where he works as a Duty Manager during the week and a Night Manager at the weekends.

It's a busy life that doesn't leave much time for other pastimes but for Andy it's a way to achieve his long-term goals.

"Further down the track I'd like to get into sales and marketing for a hotel. My parents have a tourism business in New Zealand and because of that I have strong connections with travel and tour groups," says Andy.

"Eventually I want to work at management level for a large hotel such as Skycity or the Hyatt. I'd really like to get into revenue yield control management."

Andy and his family moved from Seoul to New Zealand in 1995. After completing high school in Rotorua he moved up to Auckland five years ago. He began working at Waipuna in April 2005 and enrolled at NZMA a few months later.

"Initially I applied for a job as a porter at Waipuna. I did that for two months and then I was promoted to reception and then to Night Manager and Duty Manager. I've moved up quite quickly there, mainly because of my previous experience. I had worked for an internet service provider and also as an assistant sales and financial manager for an import/export company. I was also a rifleman in the army for two years. I think all the things I have done have led me into management."

Andy is passionate about his workplace.

"Management at Waipuna is great and so are all the staff - we all work together like a real team. It's a very good environment to learn and develop yourself. You have to love your workplace!"

And for those areas of the hospitality industry that he is not learning about at work, Andy turns to his tutors at NZMA.

"By studying on the diploma course I get an idea of what people do in every area of the hospitality industry, not just the ones I have worked in. This is very useful for me."

He also believes his NZQA-accredited qualification will stand him in good stead for the future.

"If I go and work for another company later on I don't want to start at the bottom again. I've already got a foot in the door to management at Waipuna and once I gain this qualification from NZMA I'll have even better chances for promotion."