Robert Maclean, Principal, National Institute of Hospitality Oman
Robert Maclean started his career in the hospitality industry at the tender age of 12, when he started to work for a hotel in his home town of Nairn in Scotland. He went on to achieve a Diploma in Hotel Management followed by his professional qualification of the HCIMA at Robert Gordon’s University in Aberdeen. Maclean moved to the English Lake District to work at the well known Lakeside hotel, where he worked as assistant manager and later deputy. Then, with his wife Gina, they took over her family restaurant in Wales and spent the next five years running a small business and allowing Maclean to improve his culinary skills. In 1995, he took up a lecturer’s role in his local College and in 1995, left the UK to join the newly -opened National Hospitality Institute (NHI) in Oman, where he was promoted to principal in 1997 and remained ever since. Here, Maclean plays a leading role in the development of young Omanis for the growing tourism industry in Oman. In addition to that, he has led the development of several new amenities including The Gulf Chef School, which has trained hundreds of chefs, and the Oman Chefs Guild.
Eager to encourage nominations from the Sultanate, Maclean, who has previously judged the Caterer Middle East Awards says: “I am very excited about being a judge for the Hotelier Middle East Awards. I am always fascinated to read of the development in the industry and I feel privileged to part of such an auspicious panel of judges. It is so important that there are these opportunities to encourage people in our industry.
“I am looking for people who have strived to do the best with what they have. I particularly look at the development opportunities given to individuals and what they have done with them.”
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