Interview with Derek Waller

A chemical engineer, professor of management, author… Derek Waller has combined his experiences and knowledge gained over the years and shares them with his students.

Derek is a perfectionist. As a young engineer, with an English  PhD in Chemical Engineering, working for an engineering, design and construction company in Southern California, he successfully completed, at nights and weekends, a Business Management Diploma at UCLA, later an MBA, and then a Bachelor in Arts in French
Derek began his career in the petroleum refining industry, in operations and process design and later moving into project management, marketing, sales, finance, and strategic planning… He applied this training to other  fields: petrochemicals, metals refining, breweries, nuclear power , renewable energies, the environment... the world over: the United States, Europe, Kuwait, Turkey, Nigeria, Algeria…

After a long spell in industry Derek then chose teaching, first in California, then at the Lyon School of Management for more than 20 years.

Beginning with the first class of the Master’s program in 2006, Derek taught students three disciplines in hospitality that are both complex and essential: Applied Statistics, Operations Management, and Six-Sigma Management (Six-Sigma Management is a disciplined approach to organizations giving as much importance to customers as to the efficiency and precision of processes). Since October 2010, bachelor’s degree students in International Hotel and Restaurant Management have also been following his classes. These management methods are particularly suited for the hotel and restaurant sector due to their strict attention to quality and work  efficiency.

A rigorous and attentive professor, Derek gives just as much to students as he expects from them. His courses, in English, offer theoretical and pragmatic instruction including case studies requiring strong commitment and personal effort on the part of students. They take on the challenge with satisfaction and motivation, not only because of the interest and importance of the subjects taught but also because they are delivered  by Derek’s, generosity and mastery of the subjects, as well as his accomplished and sensitive understanding of international and intercultural environments.