Hotelier Awards 2017 shortlist: Procurement Person
The shortlist revealed for the Procurement Person of the Year category in the 2017 edition of the Hotelier Middle East Awards.
If you'd like to meet last year's winners of all categories, click here to find out more...
Click through to find out who has been shortlisted this year... and take a look at last year's event in the video below!
Ashley Succor Francis Lobo, director of procurement, InterContinental Abu Dhabi
Ashley Lobo enhanced the operation with good brand of products, accurate records of transactions, trends and performance with suppliers. He has monitored all areas of procurement operation and administration policies, and saved a substantial amount of money in three years. Achieved TGOP for year 2016.
Ashraf Abdullah, cluster director of purchasing, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts - Jordan
Ashraf Abdullah has implemented the “online procurement system” resulting in 90% paperless transactions, including five additional contracts with mega-certified eco-friendly suppliers. This allowed Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts in Jordan to attain Green Globe certification. He also achieved noticeable savings upon implementing logistic strategies through proper procurement planning. Teaming up with two other non-Mövenpick operators and falling under the same owner’s umbrella, he signed new food and consumable local contracts, enhancing the purchasing power and yielding further savings by merging the consumptions of seven entities instead of five.
Jayaprakas Karimbanakkal, purchasing manager, Raffles Dubai
Jayaprakas Karimbanakkal joined Raffles Dubai in October 2007 during the pre-opening phase, and he has been with the hotel for the 10 years since Raffles Dubai first opened its doors. He joined as purchasing coordinator before being promoted to purchasing officer in June 2008, then to assistant purchasing manager in December 2009, and again to his current role of purchasing manager which he has held since August 2010. He was awarded Raffles Dubai Leader of the Year in 2017, and has generated substantial cost savings for the hotel in the last 12 months. Under his leadership, the purchasing team scored a maximum 100% satisfaction in the annual Colleague Engagement Survey (CES), the measurement used by Raffles Hotels around the world to measure staff satisfaction.
Nawaf Al Awadhi, director of supply chain & logistics, Jumeirah Group
Nawaf Al Awadhi is leading teams that are responsible for the procurement of different categories of products/services. He is also responsible to enhance the department with the best strategic supply-chain processes/practices in order to meet the market standards. He has enhanced the operator's procurement strategy and consolidated model projects, along with the implementation of e-procurement tools.
Rabih Enjbr, purchasing manager, Al Ahsa InterContinental
Rabih Enjbr has worked on increasing total savings in 2017 for Quarter 1 & Quarter 2 alone. He is also a champion of sustainable green procurement initiatives. He deals with companies that have eco-friendly products especially for paper supply and housekeeping chemicals. For waste management initiative, he is in regular contacts with establishments to collect cartons, plastic, and cans. He works closely with sister hotels in the region to help achieve exceptional deals that can be beneficial for all. Recently, he proposed much lower quotations for the laundry bag and chafing dish fuel as compared to the existing costs.
Venkatesh Dhamotharan, purchasing manager, Taj Dubai
Venkatesh Dhamotharan successfully utilised his cost management skills to ensure a a substantial saving for Taj Dubai. He pioneered the introduction of food store outsourcing that directly contributed to savings. Dhamotharan contributed significantly to cost reduction through continuous improvement. He has achieved this through a series of nano initiatives.