HOTELIER AWARDS 2012: HR Person of the Year
These five finalists will compete for the HR Person of the Year 2012 title in the Hotelier Middle East Awards to be held on October 31 at The Ritz-Carlton DIFC.
Below you will find extracts and testimonials from the shortlisted nominations for each of the five candidates...
Rey Trimidal, Fairmont Bab Al Bahr
About Rey
Rey Trimidal graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from Mindanao State University, College of Health Sciences, Marawi City, in his native Philippines in 2006, and went on to continue his studies at the Cebu Normal University, Graduate School, Cebu City where he was awarded a Master’s in Nursing. With a heartfelt desire to use his newly gained skills to first help others, he put off immediately starting a career in order to volunteer for a 5 month period with Operation Smile, an international charity which provides free, lifesaving surgery to children with facial deformities including cleft lip and cleft palate. Rey went on to work at Dr. Ignacio M. Cortes Hospital in Mandaue City as a Volunteer Staff Nurse and then as an Operating Room Nurse in Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Centre. In 2007 he entered the academic world as a Clinical Coordinator and Nursing Instructor at the College de San Antonio de Padua in Davao City, where he was responsible for clinical learning resources as well as monitoring and evaluating the knowledge, skills and attitudes of nursing students. He went on to hold positions as a Clinical and Nursing Instructor at the University of Cebu, Lapulapu and at the Mandaue College of Nursing in Cebu City. Keen to continue using his skills to give back to the community, from 2008-2010, he volunteered as a part time reviewer for the international nursing licensing exam in the KAPLAN-International Center for Studies & Education. Leaving his home country and moving to the United Arab Emirates in May 2010, Rey entered the hospitality industry for the first time, joining the team at Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, Abu Dhabi in the position of Health & Safety Coordinator. As a result of his hard work and determination, he was promoted in April 2012 to his most recent role as Occupational Safety & Wellness Advisor.
Above and beyond…
A hard worker by nature, Rey constantly extends himself above and beyond the call of duty. Regardless of how busy he is, he can be counted on to keep calm in the busiest of situations, and serve with a smile. His colleagues comment that while his days are always busy, he is never too busy to show he cares. In addition to his numerous existing responsibilities, he is always willing to lend a helping hand to others, from organizing colleague events, to assisting in sorting through hundreds of CV applications, or helping the Housing team move new colleagues into accommodation. Most noticeably, he goes above and beyond his responsibilities in the care he extends to his patients and colleagues, and in his willingness to help others. A dedicated nurse, he is committed to taking care of his patients, well beyond expectations. One of his regular tasks involves scheduling medical appointments for new hires at the Health Authority of Abu Dhabi's (HAAD) clinic for visas, which is widely known as not the most glamorous of locations. Since his arrival, Rey has worked tirelessly to build relationships with HAAD, and as a result of his efforts to cultivate this relationship, Fairmont Bab Al Bahr was invited as one of the first hotels to conduct the visa medical screenings in their new private facility. This has made a significant difference for the transition experience of new colleagues arriving in Abu Dhabi. Understanding the challenges of being away from their homes and families, Rey offers support and guidance to colleagues, often times personally accompanying them on visa medical screenings to ensure that they are well taken care of. On one occasion, a colleague needed to undergo surgery and was extremely worried. Rey went the extra mile, accompanying the colleague from the initial doctor's appointments, guiding him through the process, up until the door of the operating room, and he continued to offer support through the recovery process until the colleague was able to return to work. Rey’s medical background enables him to apply clinical knowledge on physical conditions and implement strategies to improve health and wellness of the colleagues. A second area that Rey has gone above and beyond in is improving the isolation rooms for colleagues. Those suffering from contagious illnesses are put into an isolation room in the colleague accommodation village to avoid the spread of sickness. Prior to Rey's arrival, the responsibility for providing meals to these patients lay with the individual departments. He quickly took it upon himself to ensure that these colleagues were taken care of and received their meals on time, three times a day. As the hotel has such a diverse employee base from all over the world, he also works to ensure that individual tastes and cultural preferences are taken into consideration and meals are adapted accordingly. Rey often delivers these meals himself, outside of his own working hours, lifting their spirits with his companionship and encouragement. He continues to work to improve the conditions, and is currently liaising with the technology team to install Wi-Fi access in the room. Rey is always willing to offer help when needed. In October 2011, Fairmont Bab Al Bahr was selected as the host venue for the prestigious Abu Dhabi Film Festival. One of the mandatory requirements from the Civil Defense for this high profile event was that a nurse be available during all activities. Rey had arranged for a contracted nurse to be present during the opening ceremony function; however, at the very last minute, the hospital pulled out of the agreement, placing the hotel in a very difficult situation. When the Director of Rooms called Rey for assistance, he was en route to Yas Island to attend a Janet Jackson concert. Without a moment's hesitation, he asked the taxi to turn around and immediately headed back to the hotel, missing the concert. Rey worked at the function himself as a nurse, allowing the event to go ahead as planned. A few months later, a large number of new hires were expected to arrive from Uganda as part of a recruitment drive. Volunteers were needed to assist in meeting the group, and again, Rey was one of the first to put himself forward to help. Understanding the daunting experience of arriving into a new country himself, Rey met the group in Dubai International Airport welcoming them into the country, as well as driving them to their new accommodation in Abu Dhabi. Not only involved in all hotel departments, Rey is also heavily engaged in the community and serves as a great brand ambassador. Within the last year alone, he has led three blood donation drives, with 204 volunteers, with each drive collecting over 60 units of blood. In October 2011, he also led efforts in organizing a Breast Cancer Awareness education campaign for colleagues, and by reaching out to Sheikh Khalifa Hospital, he also managed to arrange complimentary breast cancer screenings. As a result of his hard work and dedication, he was awarded the prestigious 2011 Company Star Employee of the Year, which recognizes individuals who excel in their performance and embody the Fairmont company service values and promises. This award is selected by the Executive Committee, from those who have been nominated as stars of the month during the year.
Testimonials
Colleague Testimonials: “I have nicknamed Rey, ‘Rey of Sunshine’ because he is always smiling and brightens any room when he walks in. No matter how busy he is, Rey offers a calming influence to those who work around him, and his great sense of humour is sure to brighten anyone’s day. Working with Rey is a pleasure and I have every confidence in him when it comes to confidentiality with medical issues. In addition to his own responsibilities as Occupational Safety & Wellness Advisor, Rey is always willing to help his colleagues in the Human Resources team and is a definite asset.” Jane Yrenaya, Assistant Director, Human Resources
“I have always known Rey to be cheerful and dependable. His ability to work efficiently under nerve-racking and stressful conditions speaks to his hard work, perseverance and dedication. He is easy to talk to, a good listener and a caring colleague who would never say no to someone who needs a hand. It is indeed an honour to know and work with such a fantastic person.” Joy Banas, Environmental Health & Safety Manager
"This morning (March 16, 2011) one of our in house guests became very sick and unstable after taking her prescription medication. Rey stayed with the guest for over two hours, providing her with assistance and support, never leaving her alone in the room. He refused to take a break from his position as he was so concerned for the guest. His selfless actions and concern for this guest were truly inspiring and a great example for others. ” Dewj Turker, Duty Manager, Fairmont Bab Al Bahr
“Rey has been a great colleague and advisor, and has helped me grow to where I am now. When I first took on the role as Hotel Nurse in Fairmont Dubai (Fairmont Bab Al Bahr’s sister property), Rey always offered support and advice to any of my concerns, guiding me on how to become an effective hotel nurse. I don’t believe that Rey knows how to say ‘no’ to requests, and is always willing to extend help!” Punay Pepito, Hotel Nurse, The Fairmont Dubai
Guest Testimonials: "Rey, Thank you for all your care and attention. Should you wish to visit England I would gladly provide my home for you to stay in.” Valerie Stanton, Guest
“Dear Rey, I just wanted to write and express our thanks for your thoughtful and careful attention when Mary was so afflicted with the stomach pain. You were absolutely great and I know we both truly appreciated it. I have sent along a further letter to the hotel manager to commend yourself and all the staff for making our stay so comfortable and special.” Shawn Day, Guest
“Rey is truly a good man. It does not matter to him whether you are well known or not, he is always willing to help others. He is a hard worker and a gifted nurse, yet still extremely humble. I can see that he values unity and works tirelessly to achieve his hotel's goals. Our jobs are closely related in terms of taking care of the health and wellness of the staff, and he is a great inspiration to me in my own role.” Cheryl Anne de Nuevo, Head of Health and Safety Office, St Regis Saadiyat Island
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Alena Miatlushka, Crowne Plaza Hotel Bahrain
About Alena
Being a professional athlete, team member of a National team and consecutive Champion of Belarus in Sports Aerobics for 8 years, representing her country in the biggest sports events like World & Europe Championships and other National & International tournaments, Alena has made a big shift in her life when joined Hospitality industry in 2002 as a Fitness/Aerobics Instructress at Kuwait Regency Palace Hotel. Being very ambitious and results driven person she proceeded with her career and joined IHG – Holiday Inn Downtown Kuwait as a part of the opening team in a role of a Health Club Coordinator in January 2006. IHG - Holiday Inn Downtown Kuwait – Opening Team Health Club Coordinator 19th Jan 2006 – March 2007 IHG supports development of its talents and provides them with different opportunities. Alena has been given a chance to try herself in HR department as a Training Coordinator which was not an easy move, however she found challenge as a great motivation and after showing the results and proving herself she was promoted to Assistant Training Manager in October 2007. IHG - Holiday Inn Downtown Kuwait Promoted to Assistant Training Manager, 1st Oct 2007 - July 2008 IHG - Holiday Inn Accra Airport, Ghana – Task Force Assistant Training Manager March – April 2008 She continued exploring her new role and after identifying the gaps in personal development Alena decided to continue her distance study in Cornell University and obtain Diploma in “Business Skills for HR Professionals & Executive Leadership” which she successfully completed in 2008. Additional responsibilities to handle entire HR department were given to her and she accepted them with big enthusiasm. IHG - Holiday Inn Downtown Kuwait Promoted to Training & Personnel Manager, 1 July 2008 – 31st July Based on all positive changes related to People made in the Hotel, achievement of results in different areas that greatly contributed into success of the Hotel Alena was nominated as HR Person of the year 2010 and was highly commended by “Hotelier Middle East” judging panel. Now she is the HR Manager of Crowne Plaza Bahrain with the same spirit and drive; and colleagues would like to nominate her once again for HR Person of the Year 2012 with the hope for victory this time. IHG - Crowne Plaza Bahrain Promoted to HR Manager 1st August 2010 - Present
Above and beyond…
CSR: Alena proudly represents Hospitality by initiating/supporting & participating in corporate social responsibilities which support local community: a. She introduced 10 min monthly environmental trainings which developed by HR Department and widens understanding and involvement of colleagues in Global Environmental issues like: energy/water saving, recycling, hygiene etc. Quiz in the end of the learning event makes it fun activity and tests the knowledge and understanding of learnt subject. b. Organized 3 Blood Donation campaigns in 2011 and 2 in 2012 having 201 Units/90.45L donated. c. Organized participation of Crowne Plaza Hotel in Bahrain Charitable Marathon and achieved 20th place among 143 Co’s (vs 47th place among 163 Co’s) & 4th place in Hotel category. d. Co-organized first charitable Waiter’s Race among 5* Hotels. BD 2,000/- went to Charity. e. Twice organized Orphan Outreach Activity for 25/30 children in coordination with Bahrain Royal Charity Organization in 2011 and 2012. f. Participated in the Earth’s hour event g. Twice participated in charitable walkathon “Walk for hope” supporting Bahrain cancer society with family members under logo of Crowne Plaza Brand h. Co-organized training program and welcomed 2 students with special needs from the Ministry of Social Development for a month of training placement. i. Organized Hotel colleagues to participate in IHG charitable initiative "Race around the World" where hotel pledged and achieved 2,310km of walking/running/cycling § She is a good team player and always provides helping hand to her colleagues in different departments and committees in the hotel: a. During biggest functions in the hotel she is seen cooking in the kitchen, serving food to the guests or colleagues or organizing a cleaning campaign of colleagues housing and participating in cleaning public areas along with team members. b. During sports tournaments, movie nights in housing, colleagues annual party, corporate celebrations and activities etc. taking part in organization or supporting events § Based on Alena's previous sports/recreation experience she was asked to supervise operations of Hotel Health Club during absence of HC Manager for the last 18 months and she managed to introduce some positive changes like: a. clear structure and process of membership enrollment and incentive scheme for the colleagues; b. improved guests satisfaction score by 8.5 points vs LY related to the fitness and swimming pool facilities; c. hired professional team members and d. influenced decision on Squash courts and Swimming pool renovation. Alena initiated small give away for all members highlighting occasions of Eid Al Fitr, Eid Al Adha, Diwali and Christmas that created positive impression on our guests and created spirit of unity in celebration differences between Crowne Plaza & HC guests. She organized Health Club members get together attended by 63 members and 17 guests with fun activities, Zumba class, healthy life cooking, stretching class, raffle draw and give away for all attendees. Event had a great success and spread word of mouth in the community which attracted more members. Together with the team was able to improve results in Fire Life Safety /Risk management internal audit and documentation handled in the HC; complete snag-list and follow up with Engineering Department on maintenance issues etc. From October 2011 Alena was nominated as HR Key Leader for Northern Gulf Hotels (Bahrain & Kuwait – 5 properties) and actively caring this role by counseling, mentoring and coaching her HR, Resourcing & Learning Development colleagues. She managed to bridge the gap in development of her young or new to the Co colleagues and 5 L&D colleagues from Northern Gulf were certified in 6 main corporate programmes already.
Testimonials
Alena has led her HR Business Partner role with great committment to enliven the IHG promise of Room to Grow for her Northern Gulf Colleagues. She's actively organised wirkshops for certification of her training managers to bring them abreast with the other areas in MEA. Alena has been strategic in organising a workshop for her Talent Resourcing Managers to beat the War for Talent. A lady with steely determination to deliver the core promises of IHG through her people. Its a true pleasure to work with her. Deepanjali Subba IHG – Learning & Development Manager – India Middle East & Africa
Alena is a dear Colleague who has deep passion towards work. She collaboratively drives HR, and Learning & Development activities for the IHG Northern Gulf Hotels. Her dynamism, great passion for success, being goal oriented always aiming to win and her high level of energy are her true strengths – making her stand out in her role. Cora Aguillon Learning & Development Manager InterContinental Regency Bahrain
I would like to take the opportunity to talk about Alena Miatlushka, when i first joined Holiday Inn Kuwait in 2010 as a Human Resources Manager it was my first role in such position, I had challenges in finding my way in the beginning as i had to many questions i needed answers for, so i called my sister property and that was my first interaction with Alena who was very happy to answer all my questions, support me in so many aspects, guide me and showed me the way which made my path an easier way to walk threw, Alena also introduced me on the Human Resources committee were she was a very active member in this group and manage to build many colleagues activities which managed to give back a great impact on the morale of our people, a year later Alena moved to Bahrain in her new Human Resources Role which included being in charge of learning and development for Bahrain and Kuwait which was great progress for better result. Alena is an active, knowledgeable, fun and energetic character were she managed to provide us with the full support and empowerment to move our properties forward and on the right destination, she managed to certify most of our Learning and Development colleagues with corporate programs which provided our properties and leaders a great tool to use, implement and come up with effective solutions that also impacted on the hotel revenue, if I will speak about Alena it will be nothing compare to reality, she is a great supportive leader who will always push you forward and bring you back to the right track, I am very much honored to be part of her team as I will always provide her with all the support she needs, My wishes to Alena at the moment are to be selected for the Human Resources of the year as she deserved this title. Abdelrahman Habbouchi HR & Training Manager Holiday Inn Kuwait
Ms. Alena is giving me a room to grow by providing with development activities and transfer opportunity from Housekeeping Department to the Health Club. She always gives support and assistance to me and my Health Club colleagues. Andrea Bombua Health Club Attendant Crowne Plaza Bahrain
Ms. Alena joined Crowne Plaza in 2010. The quality of learning events & performance of colleagues has improved very vastly due to her support. She has empowered her people and as a result the productivity of HR department has increased. She is 100% duty conscious person whenever she dines in the restaurants she still observe what’s happening around and never failed to recognize the colleagues. She motivates & encourages people by recognizing their performance. In 2011-2012 she has issued the biggest number of recognition cards to the colleagues. Subash Sadasivan F&B Multi-Units Manager Crowne Plaza Bahrain
"From when I first joined Holiday Inn Kuwait, Alena has been nothing short of supportive. From updating me on all HR related matters to always making herself available to help me, Alena has gone above and beyond with her warm and caring attitude. It's always a great pleasure for me when I attend one of her trainings because of the way she engages the room. All the trainings that I've attended that were facilitated by her were beneficial, memorable and always fun. When I traveled to Bahrain for training, I saw firsthand the team spirit of the HR department and her colleagues' enthusiasm to be working with her. In addition, due to the political unrest of the country, Alena went out of her way to help me acquire a visa when I wanted to visit Bahrain for personal reasons. With that said, I always look forward to the next time that I travel to Bahrain or when she is in Kuwait." Tanya El Danab Talent Resource Executive Holiday Inn Kuwait
Alena Miatlushka is really very passionate about People, she is warm, caring, and loving person, yet strict when needed. I have attended about 9 training workshops with Alena, and every time the amount of knowledge, care and motivation I carry out with me is strong and fruitful. I truly believe that Alena’s training and development plan for our region is remarkable, particularly that we have covered a wealth of educational workshops in a short eight month period which is phenomenal. In my opinion Alena definitely is Human Resources person of the year. Fayez Abirafeh Assistant Learning & Development Manager Holiday Inn Kuwait
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Melissa Salibi, Raffles Dubai
About Melissa
Melissa has worked in the Human Resource field for over 12 years having started her career in her home country of South Africa. Her journey started as a HR Administrator for Woolworths where she resided for 3 years before moving to Dubai in 2001. Her first job in the UAE was working for the Rotana group as HR Supervisor. A year later she was promoted to HR Manager and transferred to Sharjah Rotana. After two and a half years as HR Manager, Melissa was promoted again to Cluster HR Manager looking after three hotels under the Rotana group Rimal, Rihab and Villa Rotana in Dubai, also took care of all their training needs. She remained HR Manager for two and a half years until she was promoted to Director of Training during the pre-opening phase of Media Rotana. Two years followed before Melissa was again promoted to Director of Human Resources within the same property. In December 2010, Melissa joined Raffles Dubai and began her current role as Director of Human Resources.
Above and beyond…
A first example is her commitment to her own team. She arranges self development activities for them outside of work and pushes and motivates them to achieve their personal as well as career focused goals. This has resulted in a 0% turnover within her department and has ensured she has a fully committed and focused group working alongside her. Along with her team Melissa has also established a variety of very successful committees and events which have made a vast difference to the morale within the hotel. These include: - The Green / Charity Committee – which has seen a huge increase in the CSR projects that the hotel is involved with. - Welfare committee - Health & Safety Committee - Monthly Team Gatherings for all colleagues - Quarterly Town Hall Meetings - Hotel Managers Breakfast and General Managers Lunch - 6 Week Coffee Chat with all new staff to ensure they are settling in and are happy - Food Committee – monthly updates on the employee dining room and an open forum where staff can share any concerns they have. - GEMBA Day – ‘back to the floor’ for the GM and Executive Team members - Social Committee who have organised the following with Melissa’s input: o Mini Olympics o Annual Staff Party o Salsa Dance Lessons o Colleague Iftar o Celebration of all National Days for our 37 different nationalities Melissa has also very much focused on the employee accommodation and facilities knowing how crucial this is in helping make our colleagues feel settled and comfortable. This has included leading the following projects: - Refurbishment of the colleague cafeteria at the hotel and at the colleague accommodation - Refurbishment of the colleague areas back of house. - Building a basketball court at the colleague housing - Internet Coverage for all areas of the colleague accommodation and not just the communal areas. - Upgraded accommodation for married couples Furthermore, she implemented electronic notice boards across the hotel which display the occupancy of the previous night, recent colleague achievements and hotel successes, including audit scores and pictures of employees receiving awards. This is also has reduced the use of paper within the hotel as this information was initially produced via printed newsletters. Melissa’s recruitment drive has seen an increase in quality employees and a decrease in agency fees as she has used tools such as LinkedIn to source candidates. Moreover, at the end of 2011 the entire procedure of recruitment was transferred from paper based to online and Melissa successfully rolled this project out across the hotel with zero concerns. Melissa has also built some very successful relationships within the owners office and corporate office, as well as her peers within the Fairmont properties in the region. This is extremely important to ensure clear and open communication and the support for new ideas. On a final note because of Melissa’s reputation within the group she is frequently asked to assist other hotels in the region with their recruitment of key positions and the drafting of policies. A great honour and testament to her hard work and loyalty.
Testimonials:
I have worked with Melissa for the past two years. During her tenure as Director of HR the hotel achieved the highest Employee Engagement Score since its opening in 2007, and was ranked in the top 2% internationally across the services industry as per Gallop, this is a great achievement! HR team turnover for the past 2 years has been 0! Another big achievement which is a reflection of her great leadership capabilities Melissa has upgraded the recreational facilities of our employee accommodation which included volley ball field, pool tables, Gym equipment upgrades etc. She also launched the colleague coffee chat where she meets daily with one colleague and get feedback which allows her to be on top of colleagues concerns and resolving them quickly, a lot of effort yet great returns. Her extreme drive and focus on training led the hotel to achieve 94% on LQA/ mystery guest report placing the hotel in the 5th place internationally and Raffles hotels and Resorts in the second place as a chain. She has always been the voice of our colleagues, very active on supporting their requests and making sure translating them to reality. Working with her is an extreme pleasure, and she definitely contributes a lot to position Raffles Dubai as a leading luxury international hotel. Ayman Gharib Hotel Manager
Melissa and I have worked together for almost 2 years now and during this time my development in HR has significantly increased. I am currently the Assistant Director of HR and working with Melissa has been a fantastic opportunity. She is driven, passionate and has an incredible sense of humour which can change the mood of the room in a second. Nothing is impossible for her, anything that Melissa sets her mind to she can achieve. Our colleague Engagement survey increased significantly since she joined and our HR Audit scores were close to perfection. Melissa’s work ethic and concern for the welfare of our colleagues is inspirational. Since joining she restructured the salaries, benefits and brought us in line with other hotels across Dubai. Melissa upgraded all colleague facilities, painting back of house areas, placing digital notice boards in the corridors and a volley ball court in the accommodation she also fought for 1 year for internet in the accommodation which was finally achieved last month. Her passion for colleague engagement is contagious, every month there is a colleague event, from; team football in the park, a talent show, colleague recognition or mini Olympics just to name a few. Melissa is approachable and ready to action and listens, she is passionate and a positive role model in Raffles Dubai. I can only hope that one day I am a HR Director as impacting and inspiring as her. Jessica Markham– Assistant Director of Human Resources
I met Melissa about 18 months back during the process of applying for my current job as Training Manager for the Raffles Dubai hotel, where she is the Director of Human Resources. My first impression of her was that of an extremely smart professional with lots of experience and excellent people skills. These are qualities you would naturally expect from an HR professional in this capacity, what impresses me about Melissa, is the way she makes it seem effortless. Whether it is during high level interviews, negotiations or presentations, she is always very prepared and knows exactly which points are important for her to drive home. She pays close attention to her audience and captures their moods, doubts or agreements instantly and is then able to respond with clear examples. All the while remaining calm and charming. She is extremely involved in all aspects of her department or the hotel in general and always has great and powerful ideas to input, whether it is planning for a colleague event or a high level meeting. She never shies away from “making herself dirty” and does so with grace, elegance and a good measure of humour. I remember us polishing Cutlery and Chinaware in In-Room Dining and setting up Room Service trolleys. I know her as a very transparent, trusting and supportive leader, who in return has earned herself the trust and commitment of her team members, who excel in their duties, because none of us would ever want to disappoint “boss”, in the same way you would not want to disappoint your spouse or closest friend. Why are we so committed? Because we know that Melissa, our leader has our and all colleagues best interests at heart. Not only does she lead by example as a member of the Excom, she leads in an emotionally intelligent and understanding way and senses instantly if someone needs an extra portion of care, encouragement or constructive feedback. Her support has helped me personally to establish training as an institution across all areas of the hotel and the interest into personal and organizational development has reached new heights. And whilst she is constantly multitasking with many urgent matters to attend to at the same time, she will always find the time for a personal chat or a moment of refreshing humour, such as sharing her book club experiences with us. With all the expectations set into a senior manager at her level, all colleagues and her own team especially know her as a warm and caring person who truly pays interest into everyone’s personal matters. I personally enjoy our conversations about marriage and family and treasure her advice on “how to keep the in laws in check”. Under her leadership, the Human Resources Department of Raffles Dubai has grown from a bunch of people into an effective team, with individuals who are focused, self managed and dedicated in every aspect. This astonishing feat took her less than a year to achieve. As a result, we are now one of the strongest HR teams in the company, setting standards for best practices in every aspect, which was reconfirmed during the previous HR audit, conducted by the corporate team. Therefore I am proud to be a part of her team, a step I never had any reason to regret. In fact I am grateful for the trust and confidence Melissa has put in me from day one and therefore strongly recommend her for the award of “HR Person of the Year”. Sincerely, Fadi Jabbour - Training Manager
When Melissa joined the team in 2010, she has implemented a lot of new HR ideas and her impact has increased the high standards of the HR department, Colleagues and Hotels, we have achieved many aspects in terms of the colleague welfare under her mission and vision. Melissa is one of the outstanding, flawless and highly regarded leaders we worked with. She is always straight forward and has a dazzling sense of humour which is contagious. She is fun to work with and gives us the opportunity to do our best every day. She is always open for new ideas and gives effort to act upon them. She always challenges her team to improve the HR practices and allowing us to expand our skills and ideas and become more reliable. We have suggestions that have already been implemented and this feels really good and gives us motivation to suggest for more ideas. Her positive liveliness inspired people around her, she pushed people to be fearless with our boundaries and being independent that what we love about her, she loves to impart her knowledge and skills. She creates trusting work environment towards his team, colleagues and hotel. She is approachable and always around to assist colleagues. She has great organization skills, a FANTASTIC motivator and leads by example in every way. Estela Morellos– Human Resource Executive Diwan Hermawan- Human Resource Coordinator
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Diana Saxena, Bonnington Jumeirah Lakes Towers
About Diana
Diana Saxena joined our hotel team on 6th November 2009 as Assistant HR Manager. With more than 11 years of experience in various departments of the hotel. She had the required knowledge and understanding of each department. This helped her to take up the challenge to handle the pre-opening of a new hotel that had no brand name. When she had joined our team, there were approximately 60 colleagues on the payroll and the hotel was due to open in 6 months! With limited budget it was a mission impossible, but she managed the Grand opening with a smile. Her ideas were innovative and didn’t need much capital expenses like colleague referrals, open recruitment days, ads on facebook, Linked in and Dubizzle even! Today, we have 379 colleagues in the hotel. Having worked with hotels like Burj Al Arab, Madinat Jumeirah and Jumeirah HR Administration office, she had the background and the right trainings to back her up. She has been responsible for building the core management team, working on each individual's strengths and development needs and creating a balanced organization structure in the hotel. Open forums, weekly 1-1's with the team and department heads, GM lunch, Colleague committees, colleague of the month, incentive programs for the staff and management are few basis initiatives taken by her to motivate the staff and the management team. Impressed by her performance and zest for excellence, she was promoted as Human Resources and Quality Manager in February 2011.Diana has been fundamental in taking the company’s growth towards a remarkable level by aligning projects, individuals and team. She set up the HR, Training and Quality department.
Above and beyond…
Corporate social responsibility We are also very happy to share that as a part of our corporate social responsibility, Diana took the initiative to travel to Bangladesh on numerous occasions and tied up with certain schools in Bangladesh to develop our internship program. The aim of student’s internship is to learn the policies, systems and procedures in place for each department they work in. Bonnington internships are available within the following areas – Culinary; Housekeeping; Food &Beverage; Finance; Human Resources, Front Office. At the moment we have 18 Interns, from Bangladesh Bangladeshi students pursuing Hotel Management or Food & Beverage Management courses are required to complete an internship within 1 year. Hotel internships are temporary positions within Bonnington hotel that allow these to gain practical experience by working alongside with professionals. Students get the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills they have gained in real-life situations. This hands-on experience will allow them to make more informed decisions about the career path that they will take following their graduation or completion of their course. Interns are also more likely to be offered a full-time position on graduation as they have had the chance to prove their abilities and adapt to the company standards and culture. So far 20 interns were hired on permanent positions . She has been very active in getting the support generated for people who are not as fortunate, countries that are going through some natural disaster. She always tries to inculcate the habit of sharing whether it was our little contribution to Japan in form of medicine, food and clothes or to help the victims of Philippine’ earthquake or Pakistan. Our colleagues found the way forward and contributed the best that they could to help.
Testimonials
Diana is very humble and realistic, candidly she would say that we are not perfect but each day that we come to work we should think how can we make this day more productive and beautiful, bring cheer and spread smiles, make our hotel a happy place to work in! This is what our colleagues have to say about her: I had a pleasure to work with Diana and was impressed with the depth of knowledge she possesses. Diana Saxena is dedicated, reliable and service focused expert. Eager, careful and creative with boundless energy. She is probably one of the best Human Resources and Training manager I have come across and a great team player. July 24, 2012 Purnima (Director of Sales & Marketing at Bonnington Jumeirah Lakes Towers - Dubai ) worked directly with Diana at Bonnington Jumeirah Lakes Towers - Dubai
I am working with Diana for over 2 years and have been highly impressed with her work. Her knowledge in the hospitality domain is exceptionally good. Every time she has impressed me with the perfection with which she has completed the projects given to her. Perfectionist by nature, no task is impossible for her. She ensures that the entire team understands the importance of the project and drives towards excellence. Her ability to think outside the box to give the best results quickly surprises me. Her interpersonal skills make her an excellent HR professional. Always smiling and cheerful, colleagues relate to her instantly. As a manager, she is always there for her team. Diana has worked closely with all hotels’ teams on a number of occasions and has been instrumental in successfully completing projects. I have high hopes that she will be voted as HR person of the Year and wish her all the best. Sincerely Haya Arches Assistant Human Resources Manager
Diana has proven herself to be a team player with leadership skills. As an HR & Quality Manager, she discusses day to day operational issues as well as strategic topics. Diana has established a very close relation with all our Department Heads so they all consult her for all operational and HR issues. I feel she is a very dedicated team member. Sunil Haridas Sunil Haridas Purchasing & Materials Manager
Diana is a role model to all her colleagues and staff. She listen, cares and sacrifices herself on a daily bases for the wellbeing of the staff. She continuously improves the staff facilities, grooms the team members for future growth and success and overall offers a enjoyable work environment for each and everyone. Further to that her professional expertise are outstanding and well organized. She supports her HODs and other departments with structure, reforms if necessary and generic well organized support. She is analytic and critical in her recruitment and her suggested & hired candidates have all outstanding capabilities. Bernd Ziethen Assistant F&B Manager
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Akalanka Bandara, Hilton Salalah Resort
About Akalanka,
Total experience12 years Career background summary – • Hilton Salalah Resort, Oman - Training Manager / Asst. HRM – (February 2010 – Present) • Crowne Plaza Resort Salalah, Oman - Training In charge / Personnel Assistant– (2008 – 2010) • Taj Samudra Hotel - Assistant Human Resources Manager (2006 – 2008) • EAM Maliban Textiles – HR Executive (2005 – 2006) • MAS Bodyline (Pvt) Ltd - Administrative/Compliance Officer (2000 – 2005) • Family Park Hotel, Dambulla - Management Trainee (1999 – 2000) Akalanka joined Hilton Salalah Resort on 17th February 2010 as the Assistant HR manager / Training In charge and got promoted to Training Manager / Asst. HR Manager on 01st May 2011 for his continues striving for excellence and going beyond his call of duty.
Above and beyond…
Below are few examples of how Akalanka went beyond his call of duty in the past few months 1. He gave his personal moneyto a candidate who came for a pool attendant position interview because that candidate did not have money to do a medical test done in order to get selected for the job that he is applying. 2. Akalanka gave his personal moneyto one of our new team member who did not have cash to buy a phone sim card and recharge cards to call his family on the first day of arriving in Oman. 3. One of our team members had an emergency situation back at home and had to leave Oman, as soon as possible so we called Akalanka to get her emergency exit done, book a flight ticket etc. even it was his off days and when we called him he was 80 Km’s away celebrating his son’s birth day. He Immediately came to the hotel arranged all required documents and used his personal credit card to book the tickets online (due to the fact that the travel agencies are closed on weekends). Akalanka has helped few team members in the same way when they really need a savior 4. Sometimes our team members miss the staff transport and they need to pay for taxi to reach hotel. Akalanka always use his personal car to bring and drop staff members in this kind of situations 5. Whenever new team members joined the hotel and if they have not gone around the city or to visit key place’s he make sure that staff are taken around to show the city by him in his personal car on his off day’s 6. Akalanka make sure that he goes to the Airport to welcome the new team members irrespective of their level and grade 7. He has helped many of the Manager’s when they joined the hotel to find out schools for their kids and accommodations etc. during his free time using his personal contacts Below are few examples of how Akalanka went beyond his call of duty in the past few months – 1. He gave his personal money (OMR 20/- Aprox. US $ 52) to a candidate who came for a Pool attendant position interview because that candidate did not have money to do a medical test done in order to get selected for the job that he is applying. 2. Akalanka gave his personal money to one of our new team member who did not have cash to buy a phone sim card and recharge cards to call his family on the first day of arriving in Oman. 3. One of our team members had an emergency situation back at home and had to leave Oman, as soon as possible so we called Akalanka to get her emergency exit done, book a flight ticket etc. even it was his off days and when we called him he was 80 Km’s away celebrating his son’s birth day. He Immediately came to the hotel arranged all required documents and used his personal credit card to book the tickets online (due to the fact that the travel agencies are closed on weekends). Akalanka has helped few team members in the same way when they really need a savior 4. Sometimes our team members miss the staff transport and they need to pay for taxi to reach hotel. Akalanka always use his personal car to bring and drop staff members in this kind of situations 5. Whenever new team members joined the hotel and if they have not gone around the city or to visit key place’s he make sure that staff are taken around to show the city by him in his personal car on his off day’s 6. Akalanka make sure that he goes to the Airport to welcome the new team members irrespective of their level and grade 7. He has helped many of the Manager’s when they joined the hotel to find out schools for their kids and accommodations etc. during his free time using his personal contacts 8. Tow of our team members met with an accident while on a desert safari, as soon as Akalanka heard the same he rushed to the location to find them and coordinate with the hospital for treatments Plus donated blood for the team members who are injured This are few sample of Akalanka went beyond his call of duty in the recent pass
Testimonials:
Amrita Naik - (HR Cordinator) - Akalanka is a Grate inspiration and he motivates me to learn new things, he has a good knowledge about HR & Training filed. He always helps other and try to contribute to enhance performance of the hotel. Very punctual and meets deadlines all the time, It is a pleasure working with such a gentleman
Anuradha Ukwatte (Income Auditor) He is the best trainer I have ever seen and he makes trainings’ more existing and enjoyable. He has good couching skills as well. Akalanka makes everything looks so simple and easy , I have never seen him with a low energy always cheerful and looking for opportunity to help other even that is not his job
Klaus Schack (General Manager) – Akalanka has been a key contributor to the consistent performance of the hotel. He has an immense potential to grow in the HR filed and he has a go getter character that drives him to strive for excellence. It was a pleasure working with him