“I didn’t get too far along the process,” she admits. “There was quite rigorous assessment and so that sort of fell apart.”
She changing paths entirely, she decided after graduation to do a postgraduate diploma in hotel management and started working for Swedish chain Scandic Hotels as a restaurant manager, which is when she caught the hospitality bug: “It’s an industry you just get hooked on, it’s very energising,”
When thereafter Paul landed a job with Le Méridien in the UK she says “I got it in my head I wanted to go to Dubai”.
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Having applied for a director of F&B position, she was rejected “because they really wanted a male”.
However, Paul continued to persevere, making phone calls and writing letters to put forward her case.
“They said they thought it would be challenging for a woman in the industry. The male candidate they chose actually pulled out at the last minute so they called me and said they’d changed their minds. It made me really determined when I got here, because if someone tells you that you can’t do the job it makes you more determined to do it.”
And so in the end, she did get to go to the ball, joining the pre-opening team of Le Méridien Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina in 1999, which opened at 83% occupancy from day one. Paul believes that at that time, she was the only female F&B director in Dubai, since a lot of women came up through the rooms division instead.
And while she admits there are still challenges for females in the industry, there are also plenty of opportunities, particularly with Jumeirah Group.
“I think I’ve been fortunate with Jumeirah because I think they’re really focused on getting that diversity between males and females.
“If you look at our 22 hotels and resorts we’ve got at least four female GMs, which is quite a lot.”
Paul admits that after returning to the UK following her tenure with Le Méridien, it wasn’t her plan to come back to Dubai or to stay so long. However, she explains that she has always been “fortunate enough to always do something bigger, better and greater” and landing the role of GM at Jumeirah Beach Hotel, followed by her current role has been nothing short of a dream come true.
“It’s been a terrific journey and I’ve been really lucky to have this opportunity. Sometimes I have to pinch myself,” she smiles. “What an experience!”
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