(Seychelles News Agency) - The Tourism Department has announced the departure of Terrence Max from his post as director of the Seychelles Tourism Academy (STA) in a press statement earlier this week.

Max took over the leadership of the Academy in 2021 after the retirement of Flavien Joubert and has served in the role for the past three years. He resigned from the post recently.

In a meeting with the staff of the Academy on Monday, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Sylvestre Radegonde, announced that Richard Mathiot will assume the role of interim director with immediate effect for a three-month period.

"The Tourism Ministry is grateful to Mr Max for the work he has done over the past three years. I am confident that Mr Mathiot's extensive experience will greatly benefit the Seychelles Tourism Academy during this transitional period," said Radegonde.

Richard Mathiot will assume the role of interim director with immediate effect. (Tourism Seychelles) Photo License: CC-BY

He added that the post for the new STA director will be advertised in the coming weeks and the Department will initiate a recruitment process to find a permanent successor.

The Tourism Department said that the interim director brings a wealth of experience to his new role.

"As a former principal lecturer at STA, he has spent the past 20 years educating full-time students in various Food and Beverage programmes, including mentoring students in the Advanced Diploma in Hospitality Management programme and preparing them for their year at Shannon College," the Department said.

"A recognised chef, Mr Mathiot has refined his culinary skills globally, having worked in countries such as Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Dubai. His notable positions include serving as an executive chef at Paradise Sun and working for Air Seychelles, based in Holland. Additionally, Mr Mathiot has represented Seychelles in various international competitions," added the Department.

The Seychelles Tourism Academy was set up in 2007 at its current location at La Misere succeeding the Seychelles Hospitality and Tourism Training College (SHTTC). It was part of major changes towards private sector principles of management and performance measures.

The STA trains students primarily for the hotel establishment in Seychelles but many graduates choose other tourism-related field or other areas.

Tourism is the top contributor to the economy of Seychelles, a group of 115 islands in the western Indian Ocean.