< Previoushoteliermiddleast.com January 2020 30 Nayla Chowdhury has more than 20 years of hospitality experience in both the United States and the UAE and was the fi rst appointed female general manager for Hilton in the Middle East. Chowdhury spearheaded the outsourcing of key operational areas such as Housekeeping and F&B. This has delivered great return to the profi t margins and has since been introduced in the company's other area hotels. She has also implemented a hiring target of 50% female team members accross departments at all levels. A leader by example, Chowdhury is mentoring two female leaders (a housekeeping manager and an HR Executive) to guide and develop them for their next roles by sharing her skills. Tea Ros is a veteran in the hospitality industry and is the founder and managing director of Strategic Hotel Consulting, an international management consulting fi rm specialising in hotel investment. The company focusses on diversity and Ros told Hotelier Middle East that her team takes cognitive bias into account and screen CVs without personal details such as names, photos and age. Having made a mark in an industry that is dominated by men, she advises women to: “Find your passion and a mission you believe in. Continue learning, embrace change and seize opportunities, work hard and don't be afraid to fail, but most importantly, look after yourself and your health.” Nayla Chowdhury GENERAL MANAGER HAMPTON BY HILTON DUBAI AIRPORT Tea Ros FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR STRATEGIC HOTEL CONSULTING NUMBERS GAME 2 YEARS IN THE ROLE 25 YEARS IN THE COMPANY 6 YEARS IN THE REGION 25 YEARS IN HOSPITALITY 10 YEARS IN THE ROLE 10 YEARS IN THE COMPANY 15 YEARS IN THE REGION 20 YEARS IN HOSPITALITY NUMBERS GAME31 January 2020 hoteliermiddleast.com Nikki Beach’s director of spa and fi tness, Roberta Lindow has spent 15 years in the MENA region and four years with the company. Lindow closed her fi rst year of operation with 20% profi t and 29% in the year thereafter exceeding budget target. In addition to that, she also established regional and international brand recognition and market positioning for the spa by winning three awards. She has also conceptualised, and implemented the service delivery and brand identity of the Nikki Spa brand globally. What advice would she give female hoteliers? “Find your purpose and know as much as you can about what you do and take immense pride in doing it well." Roberta Lindow DIRECTOR OF SPA & FITNESS NIKKI BEACH RESORT & SPA DUBAI 4 YEARS IN THE ROLE 4 YEARS IN THE COMPANY 15 YEARS IN THE REGION 32 YEARS IN HOSPITALITY NUMBERS GAME When Marriott International’s vice president Premium & Select Brands, Sandra Schulze-Potgieter, joined the regional offi ce, she was the fi rst associate in marketing. She then built the fi rst integrated marketing team which included talent from marketing, brand, PR, ecommerce, loyalty, and partnerships backgrounds This solid foundation was invaluable when Marriott International merged with Starwood in 2017 as they moved from fi ve people across the aforementioned disciplines to more than 60 team members. Schulze-Potgieter and her team look after 220 hotels under the P&S banner and out of the 150 hotels in the pipeline, 120 are P&S brands. Sandra Schulze- Potgieter VICE PRESIDENT PREMIUM & SELECT BRANDS MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL NUMBERS GAME 2.5 YEARS IN THE ROLE 20 YEARS IN THE COMPANY 15 YEARS IN THE REGION 20 YEARS IN HOSPITALITY hoteliermiddleast.com January 2020 32 La Ville Hotel & Suites’ general manager, Anke Glaessing brings with her more than 10 years of regional experience, she has a fi rm grasp of the nuances of hotel openings, as well as managing a happy team. She told Hotelier Middle East that diversity is always present in her line of work. Her team is an international group, split equally between male and female. She assured that she assesses applicants on their attributes rather than their gender or ethnic background. Talking about her company, she continued: “For a company such as Marriott, the head is very diverse. They have a lot of female leadership. There are female leaders but not in the senior positions – this is where Marriott is exploring to grow." Sunita Mankekar has grown with The Oberoi Group, not only has she been with the company for 15 years now but she has also contributed to openings and departmental implementations that have led to an increase in profi tability over the last two and a half years. In her current role, she heads all operational systems and has streamlined departmental activities, hiring practices, guest relations and sales procedures. What advice would she give female hoteliers? “Don't shy away from hard work. Apply yourself well to achieve results. To be taken seriously, one must do their best to learn work from the bottom up. No matter what you do, don't sell yourself short. You can do something if you believe you can.” Anke Glaessing GENERAL MANAGER LA VILLE HOTEL & SUITES Sunita Mankekar EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT MANAGER THE OBEROI BEACH RESORT AL ZORAH, THE OBEROI GROUP OF HOTELS & RESORTS NUMBERS GAME 2 YEARS IN THE ROLE 2 YEARS IN THE COMPANY 10 YEARS IN THE REGION 17 YEARS IN HOSPITALITY 2.5 YEARS IN THE ROLE 15 YEARS IN THE COMPANY 5 YEARS IN THE REGION 20 YEARS IN HOSPITALITY NUMBERS GAME33 January 2020 hoteliermiddleast.com When Marloes Knippenberg, CEO of Kerten Hospitality. soke to Hotelier Middle East last year. it was clear that growth is a major priority. Knippenberg has grown the company from one brand in one country to an international presence with a pipeline of 20 projects. Looking ahead to next year, she reveals: “KH is looking forward to even bigger things in 2020, with our second Ouspace set to open in Q1, as part of the upcoming 114-key The House Hotel Jeddah – a boutique luxury concept" In addition to growth strategies, her company has diversity and inclusion at its core. She says: “40% of our core executive team are women which just goes to show the amazing female talent that is out there.” Marloes Knippenberg CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER KERTEN HOSPITALITY 4.5 YEARS IN THE ROLE 4.5 YEARS IN THE COMPANY 7 YEARS IN THE REGION 13 YEARS IN HOSPITALITY NUMBERS GAME Veronika Fox has led training modules in fi nance, rolled out technologies and saw the company through a departmental restructure. What sets Fox apart is the fact that she is not alone in the company as a senior-position female. She explained: “I am lucky that my team is extremely diverse already and I have three direct reports that are female – in fact I’m sure my male colleagues would prefer more diversity for males!” In her role, her team has reported an 80% satisfaction rate and she has also been responsible for introducing ‘BirschStreet’, a cloud-based procure-to-pay system to boost effi ciency. Her advice is: “Be persistent, resilient and don’t give up, especially after making mistakes.” Veronika Fox VICE PRESIDENT BUSINESS FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION, MEA MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL NUMBERS GAME 2 YEARS IN THE ROLE 13.5 YEARS IN THE COMPANY 6 YEARS IN THE REGION 21 YEARS IN HOSPITALITY hoteliermiddleast.com January 2020 34 Stephanie AbouJaoude has a total of 16 years’ experience in the industry and understands what it takes to make a mark in a fi eld that is primarily dominated by men, which is why she believes that, “Women need to challenge the status quo and make sure they are visible and their voice is heard. We need to go after what we want and not the other way around." AbouJaoude is involved in several diversity initiatives and has been Radisson's Balanced Leadership ambassador in the region since its launch. Radisson has also implemented ‘STEPS’, the organisation’s offi cial leadership programme that focuses solely on high potential women. From chartered account to CEO of RAK Hospitality, Alison Grinnell believes that gender equality is not only good for the community, it’s good for business too. She explains: “As a current CEO of this company, all of my opinions are being heard, and organisations that promote gender equality score higher on a number of key performance indicators, including higher employee retention rates, better customer reviews, and stronger balance sheets.” Her vision for Ras Al Khaimah isn’t to just be another Dubai or Abu Dhabi, it has to have its own draw. Her goal is to 'provide authentic hospitality by making a difference in the lives of the people we touch every day'. Stephanie AbouJaoude SENIOR AREA DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS, MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA RADISSON HOTEL GROUP Alison Grinnell CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER RAK HOSPITALITY NUMBERS GAME 4 YEARS IN THE ROLE 13 YEARS IN THE COMPANY 16 YEARS IN THE REGION 16 YEARS IN HOSPITALITY 1 YEAR IN THE ROLE 4 YEARS IN THE COMPANY 7 YEARS IN THE REGION 10 YEARS IN HOSPITALITY NUMBERS GAME35 January 2020 hoteliermiddleast.com Though she fi nds it diffi cult to list accolades and sell her personal success, Jaime Emiley Simpson is aware that it's also part of female make up to understate achievements. She says: "I work very hard at achieving the hotel metric results and especially at being a role model, mentor and coach with the aim of supporting others to achieve their goals. Watching, listening and learning from women in business you admire is inspirational. I simply want to show young women it is possible to become a general manager while being a mother. Having supportive companies to break the mould and be proactive towards closing the gap means we will see more women in hospitality leadership roles." Jaime Emiley Simpson GENERAL MANAGER HOLIDAY INN MUSCAT AL SEEB, IHG 2 YEARS IN THE ROLE 4 YEARS IN THE COMPANY 4 YEARS IN THE REGION 22 YEARS IN HOSPITALITY NUMBERS GAME Emaar Hospitality Group, Manzil Downtown & Vida Downtown’s Complex General Manager, Sharihan Al Mashary has 13 years of experience in the region under her belt. When asked about diversity, she explains: “Diversity is more than gender and ethnicity – it is the change and inclusion of mindset.” Al Mashary has started trends of sustainability, vocational and technical education, and created national training programmes. One of her keen focuses has been the youth, helping to implement a number of youth employment schemes across the chain. Her advice to women is: “Have the courage to stay fi rm, truthful and don’t compromise on values and standards.” Sharihan Al Mashary GENERAL MANAGER MANZIL DOWNTOWN & VIDA DOWNTOWN EMAAR HOSPITALITY GROUP, COMPLEX NUMBERS GAME 1 YEARS IN THE ROLE 4 YEARS IN THE COMPANY 13 YEARS IN THE REGION 13 YEARS IN HOSPITALITY hoteliermiddleast.com January 2020 36 In her current role, Dorsai Khaghani leads a team of 20 of which 13 are women. Her passion for hospitality has helped her to achieve professional milestones in the companies she has worked for while contributing to revenue growth and increased awareness of the properties. Khaghani is the only female on the Sofi tel Dubai The Palm executive committee and demonstrates her strength as a strategic leader and decision maker at the hotel. She has always encouraged her female team members to progress in their careers by providing training and encouraging internal promotions. In addition, Khaghani has worked with other department heads in order to assure they do the same for their teams. Dorsai Khaghani DIRECTOR OF SALES & MARKETING SOFITEL DUBAI THE PALM 4 YEARS IN THE ROLE 7 YEARS IN THE COMPANY 11 YEARS IN THE REGION 11 YEARS IN HOSPITALITY NUMBERS GAME Chantel Moore has had many fi rsts and big moments. Currently, she’s working on the opening of Accor’s fi rst lifestyle hotel in the Middle East, and the fi rst 25hours hotel outside of Europe due to open in 2020. She has overseen the handover of two fl agship fi ve- star hotels in Lebanon and has also handled the closure of the Metropolitan Hotel Sheikh Zayed Road as the GM. Moore's advice is: “Work for great leaders who you inspire to be like. And build a strong network and people around you who support your career." In addition to its WAAG (Women at AccorHotels Generation) initiative, AccorHotels is supporting diversity with the launch of “RiiSE” and longer maternity leave for female employees. Chantel Moore GENERAL MANAGER 25 HOURS HOTEL NUMBERS GAME 0.5 YEARS IN THE ROLE 0.5 YEARS IN THE COMPANY 14 YEARS IN THE REGION 26 YEARS IN HOSPITALITY A CELEBRATION OF EXCELLENCE IN FACILITIES MANAGEMENT Wednesday 10th June 2020 Dubai, UAE #FMMEAwards www.fm-middleeast.com/awards Now in their 13th year, the facilities management Middle East Awards will once again bring the FM sector together to acknowledge the region’s top performers. FOR SPONSORSHIP ENQUIRIES, CONTACT: VINAY RAVINDRAN Senior Sales Manager Tel: +971 4 444 3155 Email: vinay.ravindran@itp.com In association with FOR NOMINATION ENQUIRIES, CONTACT: RAJIV RAVINDRAN PILLAI Editor Tel: +971 4 444 3588 Email: rajiv.pillai@itp.com FOR EVENT & TABLE SALES ENQUIRIES, CONTACT: TERI DUNSTAN Events manager Tel: +971 4 444 3227 Email: teri.dunstan@itp.comhoteliermiddleast.com January 2020 38 PAMINI HEMAPRABHA CANDICE D’CRUZSAYAD IBRAHIMLI RUWAIDA ABELA Complex executive housekeeper Mina Seyahi Complex, Marriott International Vice president, luxury brand marketing & management, Marriott International Cluster director of PR & marketing Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah, Hilton Al Hamra Beach & Golf Resort and Al Hamra Residence &Village Middle East, India and Indian Ocean, assistant vice president Corporate Communications, Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts NAME A PROPERTY OTHER THAN YOURS THAT YOU'D LIKE TO VISIT AND WHY? I would love to visit the Soneva Fushi that is located in Maldives as this hotel and their practices are unique. I have heard good reviews about their work culture and daily operations which makes me want to explore their sustainable practices. In addition to that, the hotel is nature friendly which is exciting. I would like to embrace the pioneering spirit of Peru and uncover the endless treasures of the region in style. It would be great to jump aboard the Belmond Andean Explorer, the luxury sleeper train. The train weaves through the Peruvian Andes, offers breathtaking views and an opportunity to explore the ancient Inca ruins in style. I would visit the Fairmont Mara Safari Club. This beautiful property is surrounded by the Mara River on three sides and sits on the edge of the world’s seventh new Wonder of the world – the Masai Mara. It is a unique location where you can watch wildlife very closely, lions in particular. I like lions as they are another great example of how important females are even when it comes to wildlife. According to Craig Packer, one of the world’s leading lion researchers and director of the Lion Research Center at the University of Minnesota, a lion pride comprises all females all the time. They catch the vast majority of the food, and they guard the territory. Females are the core, as they are the heart and soul of the pride, while males just come and go. The Hassler Roma, a wonderful fi ve-star hotel in the centre of Rome at the top of the Spanish Steps. For over a century the Hassler, has been recognised as one of Europe’s legendary independently-owned hotels. The Managing Director Roberto E. Wirth is truly an inspirational man. He was born profoundly deaf and had to claw his way into the industry.39 January 2020 hoteliermiddleast.com SHAIKHA AL NOWAIS NOUR HASHEM PATRICIA EXPOSITO Corporate vice president - owner relationship management , Rotana, Complex PR manager, Le Méridien Dubai complex Vice president & senior counsel, lodging Operations, asset management & labour, Middle East & Africa, Marriott International Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach. The hotel, with its Arabic-influenced architecture, attractive offering, and exceptional service standards, truly represents what the regional hospitality stands for. I really enjoy visiting Four Seasons hotels. The style of the brand definitely resonates with me and I'm always sure to have a great time no matter which of the brand's properties I visit or where it is located. I am most interested in hotels that offer not just quiet relaxation, but plenty of interesting and fun activities. I like to stay active even on vacation. I recently read about a B&B in France called La Maison du Guil. It is in the ski area of Les Orres and offers downhill and cross country skiing, hiking and even cooking classes on Saturdays. With only fi ve rooms, it is defi nitely no Marriott but the offerings sound right up my alley. MARYAM MOHAJER VP planning & owners support services, Marriott International Six Senses, Zighy Bay. It is so serene. This place really helped me to switch off and recoup after the integration process between Marriott and Starwood back in 2018, which is another major project that I was spearheading for MEA at the time. SOUMANA AMMAR Director of operations, Fairmont The Palm, Dubai I’d love to explore Italy’s wonderful agriturismo system, a network of approved farm properties where tourists can stay and learn about rural life. I’d love nothing more than a complete introduction to Italian country life — organic food, gorgeous landscapes from the coast to the Alps, stunning rural architecture and even some local folklore, culture and music.Next >