Our 2023/24 Rising Stars finalists

Elizaveta Ziborova

Based at ‘Commune Restaurant’ at Sheraton Amsterdam Airport in The Netherlands, Elizaveta won over the judges with her creative Rising Stars entry.  Elizaveta has been working in hospitality since she moved to Amsterdam four years ago and has been based at Commune for over a year.  Outside of work Elizaveta is an avid photographer which is a perfect combination with her other passions – travel alongside delicious food & drink.

Stefan Cirkovic

Stefan is based in Doha, Qatar where he works at The Ritz-Carlton Doha.  Stefan has been working here for the past two years, adding to over eight years in hospitality.  Outside of work Stefan enjoys sports and is a keen basketball player.

Julia Selina Müller

Julia joined the team at The Bar at Sheraton Frankfurt Airport Hotel & Conference Centre this year, bring with her ten years of hospitality experience.  When not at work mixing drinks for international travellers Julie enjoys reading, painting, gardening and sports as well as her own chance to get away and travel.

Janek Hegewald

Janek joins us from ‘YOU’ bar at Le Méridien Vienna, Austria where he has been based for the last year and a half.  Working in hospitality for ten years, Janek hasn’t always been behind the bar having started off a chef!  Having always admired bartending and mixology he set off to Capetown to learn and perfect his skill as bartender, also managing to squeeze in some experience as a barista in Rome along the way.  During his down time Janek likes to travel, play football and gardening herbs & vegetables.

Marie-Amelie Fabre

Marie-Amelie joined the team The Edition Barcelona last year and works at The Punch Room bar.  The Edition is the latest step on Marie-Amelie’s hospitality journey of over ten years.  During her free time Marie-Amelie enjoys cooking, cycling and visiting Barcelona’s museums to catch their exhibitions.

Dorothy Lam

With the shortest journey to complete of all our finalists, Dorothy is based in London, working at the Bourbon Bar in JW Steakhouse at the JW Marriott.  Dorothy has been working here for over a year though has been working in hospitality for 12 years.  Outside of work Dorothy works on her photography skills, honing her passion to frame and capture life’s moments.

Andrea Griggion

Andrea joins us from Milan, Italy where he works at Bar Terrazza Gallia in the Excelsior Hotel Gallia.

Andrea has been working in hospitality for more than ten years with the last eighteen months in Bar Terrazza Gallia.  Andrea enjoys reading, movies, sports and travel.  Andrea previously lived in London for six years but never had a chance to visit Scotland so is excited for September.  Passionate about scotch whisky, Andrea is very excited to be part of this group and having the chance to visit Edinburgh.

Asive Dyongo

Our finalist Asive is travelling form South Africa where she works at Raleigh's Bar in The Westin Cape Town.  Asive has been with the team here for just over six months, part of a wider hospitality journey spanning over six years.  When not behind the bar Asive uses her leisure time to read & research new beverage ideas or get out and about visiting vineyards and new bars in the area.  Asive is also a huge football fan (Chelsea).

Nemanja Pikulić

Joining us from Belgrade, Serbia – Nemanja has been working at Credo Bar for 18 months now as part of a hospitality career spanning over ten years.  Nemanja has a passion for sport having studied martial arts for a long time.  His other passion is music – rock bands are a particular favorite, Pink Floyd & red hot Chilli Peppers.  Nemanja is a family guy, married and a proud father of a three year old son, Vukša.

Alexander Kuhn

Born and raised in Italy, Alexander is now based in Barcelona working at P41 Bar at Hotel ARTS.

Alexander started working in hospitality four years ago.  Always fascinated by mixology and preparing drinks, he decided to make it his career.  Outside of work Alexander really likes to work out, trying different disciplines and sports. He also loves to travel and discover new things every day, and of course, partying with friends is his favourite.

Fady Magdy Mouris Essa

Fady Magdy has been working in hospitality and at the bar for over ten years.  Most recently he joined the team at JW Steakhouse at the JW Marriott in Cairo, Egypt just over one year ago.  Fady Magdy is a keen table tennis fan and enjoys a game or two to unwind after busy service at JW Steakhouse.

Nicky Kurniawan

Due to unforeseen travel difficulties Nicky was not able to attend the final.

Originally from Indonesia, Nicky is travelling from the UAE where he’s based at Akira Back in the W Dubai – The Palm, Dubai.  Nicky has been part of the Akira Back team for two years, though been in hospitality of the last seven.  Nicky enjoys the creativity of working at the bar and the opportunity to experiment and test out his ideas. Outside of work Nicky is a keen sports fan, playing football or taking it easy watching movies.

Çağatay Ercan

Due to unforeseen travel difficulties Çağatay was not able to attend the final.

Çağatay has been working as a head mixologist for three years at the Brava Bar at the Bodrum Edition Hotel, after giving training and consultancy, especially in the Aegean coast of Turkey, and is also the beverage consultant of St.Regis Astana. On top of his years of experience in hospitality, Çağatay likes medicinal aromatic plant cultivation and nature walks in his spare time.

Deepak Mahar

Due to unforeseen travel difficulties Deepak was not able to attend the final.

Deepak is based in Abu Dhabi, working at the Manhattan Lounge in the St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort.  Working in hospitality for over four years, Deepak has been part of the Manhattan Lounge team for over one year now.  When not stirring down drinks at the bar, Deepak can be found playing cricket and various other outdoor sports from volleyball to football.  The last year at the Manhattan Bar has been a great learning experience for Deepak and he’s looking forward to building on this in the UK this September!