Your Teachers

Marc Brennan joined Algonquin College in 2010 with over 15 years of knowledge from the food and beverage industry at the restaurant and hotel levels. He has an excellent knowledge of all components of the hospitality industry. Marc is an Algonquin College graduate in the Hospitality Management – Hotel & Restaurant Diploma as well as the Bachelor of Hospitality and Tourism Management Honours (BHTM) program, and has his MBA in International Hospitality & Service Industries Management, with a specialization in Asset and Revenue Management from the Glion Institute of Higher Education. He currently teaches Financial Accounting, Managerial Accounting and Financial Analysis.

Martin Taller is a professor in the Bachelor of Hospitality and Tourism Management (BHTM) Honours Program and the Tourism -Travel Services program.

Previously, he developed, coordinated and taught in the Marketing and Business Intelligence Research (MBIR) Graduate Studies Program. He has been an instructor at the College since September 2005.

His international education experience includes work with the International Department at Algonquin and as an integral member of a mission to China in May 2006. He has acted as a mentor as well as instructor to Chinese delegation of Professors from Shangdong Jioatong University as well as visiting Professor from various Universities from Iraq.

Martin recently has been co-author of a collaborative Journal of essays published in Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes (WHATT) in 2012 of the most current issues and trends in the Hotel and Hospitality sectors. He has been the lead investigator of several internal and external research projects as well projects with the Applied Research and Innovation Department at the College. He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Ottawa and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from Carleton University.

Dr. Ameet Tyrewala has received his Master’s and PhD in Hospitality and Tourism Management from Purdue University, USA and his Bachelor’s in Hotel Management from University of Pune, India. His industry experience includes working in fine dining restaurants, independent and chain hotels at various management and upper management positions in India, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

Ameet has taught several courses and labs which include Food Safety and Sanitation, Quantity Food Production and Advanced Food Service Management, which is a capstone course for graduating seniors at Purdue University. Since joining Algonquin College in 2012 Ameet has taught several courses in the Bachelor of Hospitality and Tourism Program (BHTM) as well as the Hotel and Restaurant Diploma Program.

Ameet recently founded the BHTM Student Alumni Society with Alumni Cassie Doyle. The goal of this organization is to build a community of BHTM Students and Alumni who will interface, network, communicate, share their experiences, learn and get inspired from each others successes and failures on their path to becoming future Industry Leaders. Ameet was the 2015 NISOD award recipient  that recognizes teaching excellence, learning and leadership.

Dr. Zainub Ibrahim holds a PhD (2013) and Master’s degree (2009) from the University of Waterloo both specializing in tourism, as well as a Certificate of University Teaching from the University of Waterloo. She has worked on various research projects including projects on the topics of agritourism, tourism and migration, tourism development in marginalized communities, sustainability considerations for tourism in ecologically sensitive regions, and assessing tourism plans. She has a number of peer-reviewed publications in journals and book chapters, and has presented her work in national and international conferences.

Dr. Ibrahim has been teaching tourism courses at post-secondary institutions since 2007. Prior to joining Algonquin in 2016, she taught at Humber College, the University of Waterloo, Champlain St. Lawrence College, and Cégep Limoilou. At Algonquin, she has served as the General Education Coordinator for the School of Hospitality and Tourism, the School of Hospitality and Tourism representative on the Program Quality Assurance Committee (PQAC), and currently serves as a member of the Inclusion and Diversity Circle.

Elias Giannakopoulos holds an MBA from the University of Guelph and a BA (Hons) from the University of Birmingham in the UK. Mr. Giannakopoulos has been teaching at Algonquin College since 2002. His industry experience includes positions in the military and various hospitality organizations within the resort, hotel, restaurant, nightclub, and golf course settings.

Having lived and worked in Greece, Canada, and England, Elias has acquired more than twelve years of experience in both commercial and institutional Food & Beverage Management. More recently, he was involved in the development of Algonquin’s Bachelor of Hospitality and Tourism Management program. Elias’ research activities have produced papers in both refereed journals and conferences.

Christopher Hall was born and raised in the Ottawa Valley. He attained his B.A. from McGill University in English and History, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in English from the University of Toronto.

He has taught literature, academic writing and business communications at Humber College, the University of Toronto, and Carleton University. He currently teaches communications in the School of Business and in the School of Hospitality and Tourism here at Algonquin College.

James Waller has worked in the hospitality industry for 14 years, nine of which have been in management roles. He worked for two large restaurant corporations as General Manager among other roles. James also won the SirCorp Manager of the year in 2009.

In 2006 he earned his Bachelor of Commerce with a specialization in Hospitality and Tourism Management from the University of Guelph and in 2011 he obtained his Master's in Business Administration with a specialization in Hospitality and Tourism Management, also from the University of Guelph.

James has been teaching since 2012  in a variety of different programs including the Bachelor of Hospitality, Culinary Management, the Bartending Program and the Hotel and Restaurant Management Program.

Colin Kovacs received his Master of Arts from Queen’s University after completing his Bachelor of Arts at the University of Western Ontario. He has taught economics, statistics, and finance for over 15 years at both the DeVry College of Technology, in Toronto, and Algonquin College, in Ottawa.

His research papers have included Determinants of Labour Force Participation Among Older Males in Canada, and Minimum Wage – The Past and Future for Ontario. As well, he is a co-author of Exploring Microeconomics (Nelson, 2^nd edition, 2010), and Exploring Macroeconomics (Nelson, 2^nd edition, 2010)

Anuj Miglani has been teaching at Algonquin since 2010 and has over 12 years of industry experience. He is a proud Algonquin College Hospitality Management graduate. His industry experience includes working in restaurants, hotels, and retirement sector in a variety of operations and marketing roles. He is very passionate about learning and education and he has received Masters of Business Administration from University of Guelph.

Anuj has taught variety of courses within different programs in School of Hospitality and Tourism. He currently teaches Technology and Social Media, Marketing and Operations course.

Dr. Arbenser took his Ph.D. in Ag. Economics from the Humboldt University of Berlin specializing in Foreign Direct Investment, Trade, and Macroeconomic Policies. His M.Sc. degree — a major in Applied Economics – with selected courses from the department of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota.

He was Assistant Professor in the Economics Program at the University of Northern British Columbia where he taught courses at the bachelor and master levels and co-supervised students in the MBA program. His rich teaching experience also includes the University of Lethbridge, Humboldt University, and Algonquin College.

He was a member of a team of experts that prepared a report on “Natural Capital – Value of Water in Alberta” for the government of Alberta.  His publications have appeared in academic journals including Journal of Developing Areas, Indian Economic Journal, Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics, and India Foreign Trade Review. He wrote the book “A General Equilibrium Analysis of the Nexus between Foreign Direct Investment, Trade and Macroeconomic Policies: The Case of Ghana.”

Dr. Arbenser presented his research findings at various international conferences including “IATRC Annual Meeting, St. Petersburg, Florida”, “Western Economic Association Conference, San Francisco, California”, “Canadian Economic Association Conference, Montreal” and “International Conference on Development Policy, Tanzania”.

Wes Wilkinson began his culinary career in 1976 as an apprentice Chef at Whittington’s in London Ontario.

In 1983 he accepted a position as Sous-Chef at Crab Apples and Auberge du Petit Prince. In 1998 Wes was a Gold medal winner at the New Zealand Lamb Marketing Board, and Culinary Coach for The Berlin Culinary Olympics while at Fanshawe College in London Ontario taking a Silver medal.

Throughout the 1990’s Wes traveled, consulted and worked as a Vice-President in research and development for Sobeys, President’s Choice, Loblaw’s and Wegmans’ under Windsor Marketing Private Labels.

Wes has his Red Seal Cook certification, Baker, Pastry Chef, Food and Nutrition Management (CSNM), Certified Chef de Cuisine (CCC), a diploma in Food Science and Technology from the American Institute of Baking in Kansas and has completed his Masters of Hospitality and Tourism Management with a specialization in Indigenous Education.

Matt Moore is a professor of Sport Management with a specialized focus on finance. With more than 20 years of invaluable experience in the dynamic hospitality industry, Matt brings a wealth of hands-on knowledge to his classroom, specifically in financial management. His extensive background includes a tenure of 13 years at Chances R Restaurant, where he served as co-owner and dedicated manager. During his time in the industry, he developed a profound understanding of economics, entrepreneurship, and the intricacies of restaurant management.

Matt’s academic achievements include a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Carleton University, which provided him with a solid foundation for understanding the financial aspects of the field. He further pursued his education by earning a Master's degree in Hospitality and Tourism from Glion University, focusing on Asset and Revenue Management. This advanced degree equipped him with a comprehensive understanding of the financial intricacies associated with the hospitality and tourism sectors.

Beyond his academic and professional accomplishments, Matt has also dedicated his time and expertise to volunteer work in the realm of sports. With over 30 years of competitive sports experience, he possesses firsthand knowledge of the sports industry and its management. This unique combination of practical experience, academic expertise, and a passion for sports has positioned Matt as a sought-after professor and mentor in the field of Sport Management with a concentration in finance.

With over two decades experience in entrepreneurship, finance, product development and marketing, Andrea understands small and large business issues and enjoys sharing her experiences with the next generation of retirement industry professionals.

Prior to joining Algonquin College, Andrea was co-founder and president of an internet-based business with 13 employees. Over the years, Andrea worked as a research associate, finance officer and product development manager for not-for-profit organizations and large corporations. She obtained her Masters in Tourism Administration from The George Washington University and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree (finance) from McGill University and a Bachelor of Education degree from The University of Ottawa.  

Zohrab started his journey in the Hospitality industry in 1998 where he held various operations and analytics roles with Hertz Corporation in Vancouver and Toronto. He joined InterContinental Hotels Group in Dubai, UAE in 2012 where he was charged with managing revenue analytics for 250 hotels in 42 countries across Asia, Australasia, Middle East, and Africa. In 2016, he returned to Canada to take on a Regional Revenue Management role for IHG’s Eastern Canada hotels.

In 2018, Zohrab joined Algonquin College BHTM as part-time adjunct professor. He spent the first half of 2019 in New Delhi, India onboarding and training the Revenue Management and Analytics department for IHG’s Global Revenue Management.

Zohrab holds a BBA with a minor in Economics from Simon Fraser University and an MBA, double master’s degree, from the University of Western Australia in conjunction with the Copenhagen Business School. In his spare time, Zohrab enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife and three young boys.