Dear cooks, sommeliers, servers, apprentices, managers, business owners, and anyone actively working in hospitality:
Think of this as a mise en place for your future.
MAD Academy equips the global hospitality industry with the knowledge, tools, and network to advance sustainable action and responsible business practices. Our goal is to radically shift the way hospitality businesses take care of people and the planet.
Through five-day intensive courses in Copenhagen, Denmark, we train and empower professionals in our industry to make a difference in their workplaces, communities, and the world. Participants return with concrete tools and skills to make immediate impact and build capacity toward long-term solutions.
Since its launch, the Academy has produced 700+ alumni who work actively in hospitality in more than 60 countries.
MAD Academy was founded in 2019 by René Redzepi, chef and co-owner of restaurant noma, and Melina Shannon-DiPietro, MAD Executive Director, in collaboration with a group of visionary individuals.
Learn more about our Academy courses here.
“I feel without words to explain how amazing it was. So much learning and inspiration. Challenging us to be the change we want to see in hospitality and beyond.”
Our Approach
At MAD, we know that hospitality businesses can be healthy, profitable, and rewarding places to work. Yet not enough people experience that everyday.
That’s why we started MAD Academy.
Our approach is based on four fundamental pillars:
1. Expert Insights
MAD Academy features a combination of permanent faculty, guest lecturers, and consultants ranging from brilliant creatives, restaurant operators, and craftspeople to leaders of science, industry, and academia.
2. Effective Techniques
Our curriculum integrates tools that are real–world ready and provide immediate improvement. Infinitely adaptable to the variety of roles and organizations within our industry, each tool can be utilized throughout a hospitality career.
3. Expansive Mindsets
Rather than prescribed solutions, MAD Academy emphasizes clear thinking, conscious choices, and builds individual capacity toward action. Our participants are coached to clarify their own paths and presented with tested resources to ensure dreams meet reality.
4. Enduring Networks
Deepening knowledge across cultures and contexts has produced some of the world’s greatest (and most delicious) ideas. MAD Academy brings together individuals from around the globe and all corners of our industry in a melting pot of experiences and perspectives. Alumni can draw on a community of peers from more than 60 countries, creating ongoing opportunities to grow and learn.
Impact and Outcomes
MAD Academy 2022 Net Promoter Score: 90
Nine out of 10 participants would recommend MAD Academy to a friend or colleague.
What kind of behavioral changes do MAD Academy participants report a year later?
All participants surveyed from the 2020 Leadership + Business program report that their values have changed since they attended the Academy, and they have all gained more knowledge and awareness on work life, work conditions, management, and work structure.
—MAD Academy Evaluation Report by Pluss Leadership, 2021