Faculty Friday: Meet Denis Klotz

Denis Klotz is an expert in bilateral assistance and capacity building, with more than 25 years of experience in the financial and trading sector. He has an MBA in Finance from University of Hartford and in FinTech from Harvard Business School. He has conducted training activities with the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and has mentored two start-up companies.

He joined Hotel Institute Montreux in 2020 where he teaches finance, economics, accounting, specifically portfolio management, and micro/macro business economics as part of our Financial Analysis and Wealth Management specialization (offered at both bachelor's and master's levels). We asked him a few questions about his experience of teaching:

What inspired you to teach?

The one thing that inspired me to teach was the desire to share my experience and knowledge with younger generations.

Can you tell us a bit about the classes you teach and why they are important?

In my different finance classes, we analyze the different kinds of assets (bonds, stocks, derivatives) and explain how they can be used to create a proper mix to achieve an optimal portfolio performance. We look at the specificities of instruments, but also at concepts such as the “appetite to risk”, compliance or customer evaluation. Topics related to investments should never be ignored by young professionals.

How can the knowledge and skills acquired in your classes be used and applied to today’s professional world?

Nowadays, we all have access to online trading, but most of us do not know what it is all about. One day or another, we are all confronted with financial instruments that we should know about. My classes serve as a guide to improve my students’ trading skills, and at the same time to teach them the fundamentals needed to properly manage a financial portfolio in the hospitality business.

What do you think is an underrated skill that can help you make it in finance?

Communication is probably an underrated skill that could make a difference in finance. Knowing how and where to get the facts needed, and properly analyzing them in order to benefit from the information given is key.

What is your advice to your students?

I would advise my students to look for jobs that will make them happy in life, using the skills they developed.

 

Connect with Denis Klotz and find out more about other HIM faculty members.