Meet the team
Working at The Hermitage offers an enviable life/ work balance.
The isolation and fresh air attracts adventurers while the village
lifestyle offers a real sense of community.
At the first Hermitage, all staff were accommodated in the
hotel. When the second Hermitage was built more accommodation was
made available and staff lived nearby. Later a series of small
staff rooms were provided with shared facilities. Now, the village
is much larger and offers a variety of housing options.
In 2009, The Hermitage Hotel
celebrated its 125th Birthday. Take a look at the The Hermitage
story, then and now, as told by New Zealand's current affair
program, Campbell Live.
MEET OUR LEADERS
General Manager - Nigel Harper
Nigel has over 30 years experience in the hotel business, in
particular as a General Manager both here and around Asia. He has
spent many years with Accor in Asia in roles across all aspects of
Hotel Management and operations, and was Director of Operations for
Australia/Asia with Southern Pacific Hotels, based in Sydney.
Before coming to The Hermitage, Nigel was in a senior management
role with The Scenic Hotel Group. Nigel is in fact no stranger to
the Hermitage, having run it for seven and a half years in the
1970's, and he is delighted to be back in the special environment
that is Aoraki Mount Cook.
General Manager of Tourism -
Denis Callesen
Denis has 40 years experience in the Tourism Industry and has
been at Mount Cook on and off since 1975. His main role today is
management of The Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre & the
various Activities operated by The Hermitage. Described as a
'Commercial Conservationist', he also plays an active role in
developing new projects & liaison with The Department of
Conservation. A long serving JP & well known as a Marriage
Celebrant, Denis's interests include hunting, trout fishing and
nice NZ wine.
Operations Manager - Alexander Tschampel
Alexander joined the team in June 2011 and brings with him over
15 years of experience in hotels around the globe, including his
most recent role at the Hilton Auckland. He has studied hospitality
management and completed a Restaurant Master degree in his homeland
Germany before he traveled to New Zealand in 2003 where he fell in
love with the country and its people and felt that there was no
better place than the Hermitage Hotel to fulfil his aim to spread
the lights and warmth of hospitality.
Front Office Manager - Masa Onuma
Masa's first job was within fishing tackle sales in Japan. As
Japanese fishing tackles were very popular overseas he found
himself travelling overseas 1/3 of time. While Masa was travelling
he stayedin hotels all over the world and began to consider a
career in the hotel industry. 10 years ago Masa came to NZ and
started work at The Hermitage. He believes all NZ hotels have a
very friendly attitude and The Hermitage is no exception.
HR Manager - Leonie Rasmussen
Leonie completed a Bachelor of Education and then worked as an
F&B Attendant at The Hermitage. She had intended to travel
before settling down to teach but loved the hotel so much she
stayed for 2.5years. She eventually left to spend 4 years overseas
before rejoining the team in 2008. Leonie is passionate about the
many great opportunities available to our staff living in Aoraki
Mount Cook Village.
Sales & Marketing Manager
- Cher Knights
Cher moved to NZ with her family in 2008 following 11 years in
management, operations and sales and marketing roles in the North
Queensland tourism industry. Although she had travelled the South
Island extensively she had never been to Mount Cook and took the
position with The Hermitage without knowing what it actually was.
After her first visit she was hooked and although based in our
Queenstown office, Cher considers Mount Cook and The Hermitage her
favorite place in the world.
Chief Engineer - George Glasheen
George started out as a construction engineer in Europe and
brings with him 30 years experience in the building/construction
industry. Before coming to The Hermitage, he was an owner operator
of several contracting businesses specializing in building
renovations/re-fits and property maintenance. George enjoys the
challenge of his position and working with the great team at Mt
Cook. Outside of work he like to head to the hills and there are
plenty to choose from here.