Escoffier Appoints Rich Ahrens as Vice President of Talent and Culture
Newly Created Position Targets Recruiting and Culture for the Growing Institution
Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, a leading accredited provider of online and campus-based culinary training and education, announced the appointment of Rich Ahrens as vice president of Talent and Culture for Escoffier and Triumph Higher Education Group.
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Ahrens joins Escoffier’s leadership team after a successful tenure with Pearson Online Learning Services. In this newly created position at Escoffier, he will oversee human resources operations, enhance and create new recruitment and retention strategies and focus on fostering the company’s culture of quality, service and social mindedness.
“Strategic human resources is about more than managing traditional logistics,” said Escoffier and Triumph Higher Education Group’s CEO Tracy Lorenz. “It’s about creating a positive work environment and helping us live our core values each and every day. So, adding ‘culture’ in Rich’s title reflects the importance we are placing on creating a work culture aligned with the values we continue to build at Escoffier,” added Lorenz.
The online and campus-based culinary educator has grown from approximately 85 to more than 300 employees in the past three years while increasing their online student body, externship placements, alumni network and curriculum options for students.
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“As we look forward to the next decade, we see the need for even more strategic leadership in recruiting, developing, and retaining our best talent. Rich has more than 30 years of professional experience in the human resources and online education sectors, most recently as Human Resources Business Partnership and Talent Acquisition for Pearson Online Learning Services and prior to that with UOP, A Honeywell Company and Verizon Wireless,” said Lorenz.
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