Anatole Uzel, senior consultant at Loeb Innovation

A 2025 graduate of the Bachelor’s degree in International Hospitality and Restaurant Management, Anatole Uzel has been working as a Senior Consultant at Loeb Innovation since completing his studies. The consultancy helps brands develop new products, services and experiences. It is an exciting career where keeping up with the latest market trends is essential.

Could you briefly introduce yourself and tell us about your background before joining Institut Lyfe?

Before joining Institut Lyfe, my life revolved around competitive climbing at a high level. I imagined myself working in the mountains, perhaps joining the French High Mountain Gendarmerie, working in mountain rescue or becoming a mountain guide. That was really what defined me at the time. Then, one day, I accompanied my brother to an Open Day at Institut Lyfe. I discovered the campus, the impressive surroundings and the confidence and eloquence of the people welcoming us. It made me want to find out more. I discovered a genuine passion for food, but also for beverages and exploring new concepts.

Why did you choose to study at Institut Lyfe rather than another institution?

Institut Lyfe offered the perfect balance for me. It was a highly prestigious institution that still maintained a personal, welcoming atmosphere, with small class sizes and renowned lecturers who had all worked in some of the industry’s most prestigious establishments. That was incredibly important to me. There were also the practical training facilities, including the Michelin-starred gastronomic restaurant Saisons and the five-star Hôtel Le Royal. I thought it was fantastic to be able to put everything we learnt in class into practice directly on campus. And to be honest, I felt incredibly welcome at Institut Lyfe. I met some wonderful people there who are still part of my life today.

What skills did you develop during your studies?

Above all, I developed strong critical thinking skills and genuine creativity. I became eager to constantly develop new concepts, evaluate other people’s ideas and experiment. That’s where my desire to travel, explore cuisines from around the world and understand the trends behind them really began. I also developed a sense of discipline and a strong work ethic that I hadn’t had before, along with a desire to learn and discover more about the industry, its products and the stories behind them. Before that, I’d had quite a difficult and frustrating relationship with the education system. Joining Institut Lyfe helped me discover the pleasure of learning and develop a genuine passion for working hard.

Could you tell us about your career since graduating?

I secured my job before I’d even finished my studies, at the Sirha trade show, and it’s the position I still hold today: Senior Consultant at Loeb Innovation. I work with brands across the luxury, beauty, foodservice, beverage, hospitality and consumer goods sectors. I help them anticipate medium- and long-term consumer trends, define a distinctive and sustainable market positioning, and develop innovative products and services that disrupt their markets. I then help turn these ideas into successful business models.

Was it easy to find a job after completing your studies?

For me, yes. I think there are two ways to approach your time at Institut Lyfe: you can either take a relatively passive approach or really get involved. Whether you’re running a business alongside your studies or taking part in student associations, you meet an incredible number of people over the four years. Hospitality and food service is an incredibly broad industry, with endless opportunities and extraordinary people to meet. There are also plenty of events where you have the chance to cross paths with the same professionals again. As a result, job opportunities can come quite naturally, provided the market remains open and isn’t affected by a major crisis. If I had one piece of advice, it would be to never underestimate the value of speculative applications. Don’t limit yourself to advertised vacancies: most positions in these industries are never publicly advertised. You just need to be curious enough to reach out and ask. Opportunities and connections can develop much faster than you might think.

Could you describe your current role and your main day-to-day responsibilities?

My day-to-day work always starts with what’s happening in the market. I spend my time trying out new food and beverage concepts, attending trade shows, following press releases and constantly reading about the latest innovations and industry research. All of this helps me stay up to date with what’s happening. These insights then provide the foundations for developing new products, supported by strong brand platforms that we’ve established beforehand. Ultimately, my job is about identifying where consumer behaviour is heading, drawing insights from a wide range of sources and turning them into tangible projects for brands.

In your opinion, what qualities and skills are essential for this career?

First and foremost, it’s a career driven by passion. You need to be genuinely interested in what’s happening around the world every single day, without limiting yourself to one industry, because you quickly realise that every sector influences the others. You need to have an instinct for spotting trends and an eye for what’s happening in every direction. You also need to know when to switch off your analytical mind and let spontaneous creativity take over, before getting back to work and turning those ideas into a viable business model. Strong interpersonal skills are equally important, as you work directly with senior-level professionals. Finally, you need an entrepreneurial mindset, or perhaps more accurately, an intrapreneurial one, to manage your projects independently within the company.

What are your professional ambitions for the future?

I want to continue innovating and creating for many years to come, working with all kinds of brands, projects and industries, while keeping a close eye on the market and the forces shaping it every day.

I’d also love to share my knowledge, train others in this profession and support them in their careers. It’s such a fast-moving industry, and being able to exchange ideas with others is incredibly rewarding.

And further down the line, I’d like to return to entrepreneurship. I was fortunate enough to launch my first two businesses while studying: one in the bar industry and another in catering, with a food truck. I know that, eventually, I’ll feel the urge to get back into running a business myself.

What advice would you give to a prospective student considering the Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality and Restaurant Management?

Be curious, be creative and always be eager to learn. Read books about the industry and everything that’s been done before. Innovation is a constant process of reinvention. Everything is cyclical, and you need to keep feeding your curiosity to fuel your desire to learn even more. Attend as many events as possible, meet as many people as you can, introduce yourself, start conversations and be bold. Learn how to learn, how to present yourself and how to spark the interest of the people you meet. Enjoy what you do, and whenever you get the opportunity, put your projects and ideas to the test. Innovation is an endless cycle in which the future draws inspiration from the past to reinvent the present!

Do you have a particularly memorable experience from your time at Institut Lyfe?

It was one of the periods in my life when I met the most people. My favourite memory is launching a food truck called La Pâte Vadrouille with two friends while we were studying. We’d arrive outside the Château de la Roseraie at midday, park up and serve gnocchi to all the chefs. Coming from a restaurant management background, finding myself serving gnocchi to Meilleurs Ouvriers de France (France’s most highly recognised craftspeople) and all the chefs on campus was quite an experience! Above all, sharing that entrepreneurial adventure with friends, fellow students and lecturers made it a truly special memory. In total, we served 30,000 meals throughout the time the food truck was operating.

From his passion for the mountains and what once seemed like a clear career path, Anatole’s story shows how a simple visit to an Institut Lyfe Open Day can open the door to discovering a new industry, exciting career opportunities and even a true calling. His experience also highlights what makes studying at Institut Lyfe so valuable: learning from passionate industry professionals, building meaningful connections, bringing ideas to life and, above all, gaining the skills and confidence to build a future that matches your ambitions.

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