Claire Briffa

Q: In your role as Corporate Services COO, how do you manage the diverse functions under your leadership, to ensure they all contribute effectively to the overall success of ITS?

In my role, the primary focus is ensuring that each function under my leadership—whether it’s finance, human resources, marketing, EU funding, facilities management, security, procurement, IT, or software development, contributes effectively to the overall success of ITS. I look at the Corporate Services team as the supporting arm of academia, dedicated to providing the academic team with the necessary resources and expertise to help our students excel throughout their journey at ITS.

Each function is aligned with a shared goal; outstanding student achievements, which ultimately drives the success of ITS. To ensure this, we streamline processes, adopt best practices, and engage in continuous networking with educational counterparts and tourism industry stakeholders, both locally and internationally. Leveraging technology is also crucial for maintaining efficiency and effectiveness.

Agility in decision-making is another key factor. The past 5 years, in particular, were evidence of how as a team we managed to counteract challenges and turn them into opportunities by introducing e-learning, integrating AI and VR in our course delivery, opening satellite campuses in Europe and Asia, and offering consultancy services in hospitality beyond our shores.

Q: How do you approach the challenge of maintaining a strong corporate identity for ITS while also fostering innovation and adaptability within your teams?

ITS has a rich history spanning more than 3 decades which forms part of who we are today. Our mission has evolved into Shaping Excellence and Innovation in Tourism, and this is the foundation of whatever we do. Over the past nine years, we have worked hard towards uplifting the ITS status from being solely a local education provider to widening our horizons into research, consultancy, training to upskill industry employees, and also ventured into the international market.

Employees are encouraged to explore new ideas. We promote a culture of continuous learning and professional development allowing us to adapt easily to new challenges, and keeping abreast of developments in the areas of education and tourism, amongst others. We aim to drive innovation across the board while staying true to who we are.

Q: With your responsibility for key areas like finance and property, how do you ensure that ITS remains financially sustainable and well-equipped to support its growing student body and staff?

Funding is always a challenge. Although ITS is publicly funded, we strive to find ways and means of generating additional revenue to be able to provide students and staff with all necessary facilities, resources and professional development. Erasmus and other European funds provide support to both the students and staff in their mobilities abroad, and in undertaking research projects.

We are open also to involving stakeholders in partnering with us through sponsorships. Various companies continuously offer their support, for which we are very grateful. We look forward to more similar collaborations in the future. Our students are the employees and entrepreneurs of the near future.