1. What brought you to the UAE, and to your current position as Cluster Hotel Manager at Radisson Blu?
Back in 2014 I was working in Stockholm, Sweden at Radisson Collection Strand Hotel when our headquarters in Brussels called me about an opening as a Hotel EAM (Deputy to General Manager) at one of our Dubai hotels. Few flights and 5 weeks later my container landed in Dubai!
2. How does a perfect workday look like for you?
Day comes to a perfect start as long as I can get an hour of weight lifting or running in before heading to office. With 3 kids, a dog and 638 rooms in operation across the 2 hotels, this is not always possible, but I do aim to exercise 4-5 days a week.
3. What is the most interesting thing about your job?
The action. I manage 2 extremely busy hotels in Business Bay, the heart of Dubai. We have visitors from across the world, and anything can and does happen at any given time. As a strategic head of the hotels I don’t always talk to the guests as much as I would like to, but I do spend a lot of time resolving problems both in realtime and pro-actively. The hotels never sleep! (And with 2 smaller kids neither do I…)
4. What are some of the most important lessons you’ve learned in your career?
My career started as a GM in a Michelin star restaurant in Sweden, and with that came ability to work under high pressure and set standards extremely high for myself, which under these distinct circumstances is not always feasible long term. I’ve had to learn to take time for myself and to organise my time between work and home, for the sake of my health and my family.
5. Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years time?
Most probably still within 5-star hotels, as as a General Manager or in a Regional role. With my background in luxury segments, that is where I would like to see myself in the future. But as a hobby and a retirement plan I am preparing my real estate portfolio with units for both short and longterm rental.
6. What do you like to do when you are not at work?
Apart from my family and my exercise routine, our family participates yearly in trips to Africa to build water and school facilities to underprivileged children. Planning of these trips is both exciting and rewarding, and last year I was the Project Manager for our school and water project in Uganda. This year we are hoping to travel to Mozambique!
