With the aim of providing a channel for students in Asia to connect and learn from hospitality professionals, Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) recently chartered a new student chapter in Singapore.

The new HFTP Asia Student Chapter will be based at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Singapore Campus and will have strong ties with the HFTP Asia Chapter.

The second HFTP student chapter in Asia was formed thanks to many individuals, including James Lee, president of HFTP Asia Chapter and director of finance at The Regent Singapore; Dr. Andy Nazarechuk, dean of UNLV Singapore; and Gerry Koh, adjunct professor at UNLV Singapore. The HFTP Asia Chapter will be actively involved with the student chapter, as student members learn about the hospitality industry through meetings, events and internships.

“Finance and technology are so critical to our business that knowledge of both is a core competency any hospitality professional must have,” said Lee. “I am very privileged to work with UNLV to initiate the student chapter, engage the future leaders of our industry and contribute toward their success in education.”

With that ideal in mind, six UNLV undergraduates came together to form the HFTP Asia Student Chapter. Currently, the student chapter has 62 members, surpassing the modest expectation of having 20 members. Over 40 people attended the organizational meeting on October 4, 2007 to vote for the chapter officers and directors. The first joint meeting between the HFTP Asia Chapter and HFTP Asia Student Chapter will be in January, 2008.

“I am very happy and proud that our UNLV students have been able to establish the first HFTP student chapter in Singapore,” said Nazarechuk. “I am confident that this will be the beginning of a long term relationship between our students and industry professionals.”