Eric Olmedo is currently a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Ethnic Studies (KITA), the National University of Malaysia. His academic interest lies at the crossroads of the fields of sociology of work and anthropology of food, with a focus on ethnic relations. Besides conducting research projects, Eric Olmedo provides consultancy services in the manufacturing and services industries, focussing on productivity optimisation through in-depth analysis of organisational systems as well as workers’ perspectives and engagement. The first part of his career was dedicated to the hospitality industry where he occupied various operational and training positions in France and Canada. Prior to joining Academia, his last position in the hotel trade was as Resident Manager in a 5 star château-hotel near Paris, France. After a few years spent teaching as a National Accredited lecturer, he became head of Hospitality Studies in a polytechnic school near Paris. It was then that he was sent to Chile by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs to open hotel schools and design curricula. Subsequent to his experience in Latin America and other missions in the Middle East, Africa, Northern and Southeast Asia, Eric Olmedo moved to Malaysia and took the position of Director of Studies in a private university between 2002 and 2006, near Kuala Lumpur. Until June 2013, he was Deputy-director of the School of Hospitality, Tourism Management, and Food Studies at the University of Toulouse, France. Hotel-school trained, he holds 2 Master Degrees: in Sociology of Organisations and in Hospitality and Tourism Management and a PhD in Sociology. He is a certified Wine Trainer and Assessor.