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All instructors have been in
private service for many years and/or held
positions in esteemed households or
corporations. This rare combination of
comprehensive knowledge and considerable
experience, coupled with a deep pride of and
affection for a singular and respected
profession ensures that all students will
benefit from such devotion to duty. |
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Our core instructors include, but are not
limited to;
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Robert Wennekes
CEO -
Chairman of the board
Robert Wennekes
is Chairman of The International Butler
Academy (TIBA) (profile) and serves on the board
of directors of the prestigious
International Guild of Professional
Butlers.
With 30 years of experience in private
service,
including 16 years as a professional
butler working in the USA, Austria,
Germany and The Netherlands, Mr. Wennekes teaches butling plus interviewing skills & techniques. |
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Frank Fortgens
Director - Senior House
Management Instructor
Before entering private service,
Frank Fortgens spent most of
his professional life in top management
positions in the health care industry.
He is a professionally trained butler with a
great passion for modern butling and butling
systems. Mr. Fortgens is a member of the
Confrérie du Sabre
d'Or.
Besides being the Director of Recruitment at
TIBA, he teaches butling plus estate [house] management. |
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Ineke van de Laak
Director -
Senior Etiquette & Protocol Instructor
Ineke van de Laak's experience includes
10 years as training manager at the
Intercontinental Amstel Hotel in
Amsterdam, which is considered the finest hotel in The
Netherlands. She is internationally
certified as a hospitality and
management trainer. At The International Butler
Academy Mrs. Van de Laak teaches butling
plus Etiquette & Protocol. |
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Glenn van den Broek
Executive Chef de Cuisine
After finishing Hotel College, in
Belgium which is where he is originally
from, Glenn van den Broek worked at
various top restaurants where he quickly
assimilated new found knowledge and
skills. At The International Butler
Academy Mr. van den Broek is responsible
for all the exquisite catering. Of
course he cooks for our students, and teaches them
cooking and cooking techniques. |
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Melchior van der Meulen
Director - Senior Butling
Instructor
Melchior van der Meulen is a highly experienced butler,
gentleman's gentleman and valet., with more than
20 years of experience in
the service profession. He knows his
business like no other. At The International
Butler Academy Mr. Van der Meulen is responsible for
teaching butling plus valeting in all of its facets,
using real life settings in his
hands-on training. |
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Wouter Bagin
Assistant Head Butler
After obtaining his Bachelor degree in
Hotel Management (and after working 7
months in Djibouti (Africa) and one
year in Ajman (United Arab Emirates),
both for Kempinski Hotels, Wouter
graduated from The International Butler
Academy in March 2011. He accepted an
Internship at our school and it is this
Internship which lead to full-time
employment. Wouter's main
responsibilities are assisting the
Executive Head
Butler. |
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Curtis Akerlind
Executive
Head Butler
Curtis
Akerlind, born and raised in the USA,
just might be one of the finest butlers
you could ever meet! He is
a highly experienced and professionally
trained butler and brings with him a
wealth of knowledge and experience to
the benefit of the TIBA students. Mr. Akerlind teaches butling plus
professional attitude and, under
his professional guidance, students study
and work at The International Butler
Academy. |
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Class Guardian
Curtis Akerlind, TIBA's Executive Head Butler, is also
TIBA's "Class Guardian". He looks after students and does many
other things for the students, including
counseling.
As far as we know, The
International Butler Academy is the only school in the world
with a full-time "class guardian" in such
a fashion.
Instructors who are Recognized
Experts in their Fields
Our instructors have been carefully
chosen by The International Butler
Academy for their field experience as
well as their ability to teach with each
instructor has a minimum of 10 years
experience in his or her chosen field of
work. Each instructor must take the full
eight-week course at The International Butler
Academy before he or she is allowed to
teach.
We are the only
school with a comprehensive written
syllabus that provides a framework and
standard for all of our instructors to
follow. The result is augmented
standards of professionalism and
consistency for each graduating class.
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Jack Liu
TIBA's Representative for Asia
Jack Liu, who resides in Shenzhen,
China, has been working with and for The
International Butler Academy for the
past 10 years. Mr. Liu is a highly
experienced service professional with
more than 25 years of experience in the
hospitality and butling field. He is the
official and only representative
for The International Butler Academy in
Asia. |
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