By Jojo Dass

Alexander Suski, recently appointed acting chief executive officer at Ishraq Hospitality, could probably still hear the thump-thumping sound of a basketball hitting the wooden floor whenever it’s crunch time.

It’s been many years ago when he last played. But that unmistakable whiff of the hard court is still all around him, bringing back flashes of memories whenever he ponders on his next move while at work. 

From insurance sales to hospitality

Having grown up in a little village in Belgium, Alexander was in the big league, playing professional basketball in his early 20’s, when an incident snuffed it all out.

“I had an injury and it forced me to quit from that career aspiration,” Alexander tells Dubai Vibes Magazine. 

For a moment, it seemed the world has dead-ended on Alexander, and he took the first thing he saw that could bring him back.

“From there, I worked in insurance sales, which was an exciting hardcore sales learning curve that taught me a lot,” he said.

The road he has taken eventually led him to hospitality. “I realized I really loved it and decided to develop myself further; it allowed me to travel and have amazing experiences.”

The rest, as the cliché goes, is history.

Head honcho

These days, Alexander counts among Dubai hospitality’s head honchos with bragging rights to over 18 years of industry experience that spans Europe and the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, and more than a decade of strategic development in sales and marketing in these parts of the world. 

Prior to his appointment as acting CEO at Ishraq Hospitality, Alexander was associate vice president for sales and marketing at Millennium Hotels and Resorts – MEA where he had a portfolio of 48 properties and over 40 future openings under his watch. 

Before that, Alexander was area director of sales and marketing at Kempinksi Hotels in Egypt and Bahrain, then moved to UAE as director of sales and marketing at Kempinski Hotel Ajman and Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates. In this role, he reinvigorated sales and marketing strategies, market share, profit expansion and hotel brand repositioning to accelerate growth.

Alexander’s more than a decade-long valuable experience in Europe was integral to his vast understanding of the hospitality sector.  He has worked with InterContinental Hotels & Resorts (IHG) in Warsaw; Sofitel Luxury Hotels (Accor) in Bruges-Ghent-Brussels-Luxemburg-Amsterdam; Crowne Plaza (IHG) in Brussels; and De Dikke Van Dale (Fletcher Hotels) in Holland. 

His previous post before he was appointed acting CEO at Ishraq Hospitality was group director for the company’s, Commercial and Business Development division, where he oversaw commercial operations and strategic expansion of seven hotel properties under InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG Hotels & Resorts) and Wyndham franchises. In addition, Alexander was also responsible for driving short- and long-term commercial strategies for the portfolio and developing Ishraq Hospitality’s well-recognized Hospitality Advisory Services for investors or hotel owners.

Ishraq Hospitality is a division of Mohamed & Obaid AlMulla Group, one of the most dynamic and prominent business houses in UAE.

Basketball

Looking back, it’s all about basketball, after all.

“Being a professional basketball player when I was young, prepared me to deal with adversity and for sudden failure; as in sports, we all know that one can go from being a winner to a loser, and vice versa in a fraction of a second,” says Alexander.

“The best way to get back on your feet is to self-assess with your team, your peers and managers: ‘What did I do wrong, or where do I learn from?’ Taking that learning to heart and acting on it immediately get you a step further,” he added.

He said he takes it from Michael Jordan who once said: “I can accept failure; everyone fails sometimes. But I can’t accept not trying again.”

In his new post, Alexander will be playing team captain. “My key role is the expansion of the company, being, first, recognized as a leading white label hotel operator in the region; and second, the expansion of Holiday Inn Express in the Middle East,” he says.

“We will be only as successful as the team is,” he added, “so, it is important to have the right experts and motivated department heads in place.  

Alexander said he has been very lucky to be brought up in a Belgian education system, which means Dutch, English, German and French were part of the regular curriculum. 

“Then I decided to work in Brussels – and that meant working in a French spoken business environment all the time. Thanks to the diverse international professional path abroad and to working with all different nationalities, one is always practicing linguistics,” he says.

Alexander has been in Dubai for eight years and has no plans of leaving soon. “My family is here – wife and two daughters – and we love Dubai for all that is gives. For me home is where my family is.”

He has lived in Belgium, Luxemburg, Egypt and Bahrain, among others, travelling and moving around.

“Dubai is now home, and it is where we decided to settle down,” he said.

Brought up in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Saakshi Khubani noticed that Dubai’s local media scene is saturated with content targeted at only a handful of ethnicities, which actually comes as no surprise considering the city’s multi-cultural set-up where each ethnic communities tend to have its own way of keeping abreast about what’s going on, mostly through social media.

“I hope to create content with a wider appeal,” Saakshi tells Dubai Vibes Magazine.

“When I initially came to Dubai in 2016, it felt foreign to me, even though the culture is quite similar to that of Saudi’s. It took me a while to adjust, but I happened to fall in love with the city eventually. 

“I love the diversity in terms of cultures a little too much as it helps me understand different people as well as learn a thing or a two about each culture. Also, this city never sleeps, one can never get bored with the number of things to look forward to every single day!” she added.  

Saakshi, born in India, said her passion for the public relations industry and her goal to one day be able to “create impactful campaigns that can genuinely prove to be helpful to the society,” keeps her going, not to mention family and friends, “who are so supportive of everything I wish to accomplish in life.”

Saakshi, with her voracious appetite for the communications industry, has done an opinion piece on mass communication in the UAE, which has been notably featured in one of the national dailies, she had co-developed a public relations campaign that won second place in a competition hosted by the Ramada Ajman, and participated in a Student Integrated PR campaign at the Dubai Lynx – Festival of Creativity 2019.

Moreover, while pursuing her BA in Media, PR, and Advertising at Middlesex University Dubai, Saakshi further explored the local media scene with several internships, workshops, conferences, and competitions. Her internships gave her backstage access to world-renowned brands and industry giants like ADNOC, Burberry, Roberto Cavalli, the Jumeirah Group, and Tiffany. 

It’s her fondness for the arts and writing since she was a child that enabled Saakshi to find her love for communications and socializing, which the public relations industry fused. 

“Given my love for art and events since childhood, unlike most people my age who were undecided about their career, I knew from the very beginning that I wanted to do my bachelor’s in communications,” Saakshi said. 

“I then decided to move to the UAE to pursue B.A in PR, Media, and Advertising from Middlesex University Dubai. Throughout my three years in university, I took up several internships in multiple agencies including and volunteered for several events to understand different roles that exist within the media industry. After graduation, I decided to take a job in PR as it naturally aligned with my passion and gave me a chance to build on multiple skills at once,” she added. 

End of the day, she said there is “nothing in this world that you cannot do if you put your mind to it and there is no one in this world that can replace you.” 

Dubai, UAE  –Make the most of summer at MOOD Rooftop Lounge, perched atop The Meydan Hotel in Nad Al Sheba, one of the best sunset spots in the city.

The picturesque rooftop known for its lively evening entertainment, a menu of authentic dishes with creative and contemporary twists, refreshing beverages created by a team of expert mixologists, and the signature personalized service makes MOOD Rooftop Lounge the go-to place for a lovely dinner, a quick catch-up or just to hang out with friends.

This well-positioned restaurant features spectacular views of the city skyline with its glittering lights and the world’s tallest tower, Burj Khalifa, giving guests a lasting impression.

The urban rooftop oasis features an enticing menu inspired by the elements of nature. Guests can choose from a selection of local and international favorites, from a starter, salad, sushi, pizza to mains, with signature dishes like the Grilled Lobster Thermidor and Charred King Prawn. Each dish is cooked to perfection, using high-quality ingredients. Sharing desserts is available, but one should not miss the Flavored Cigar, a luscious dessert with a surprise flavor.

MOOD Rooftop Lounge offers great beverages ranging from classic favorites and hand-crafted mixes to a nice list of red and white grape from all over the world.

The beautiful venue is adorned with sophisticated lounge furniture and comes with a retractable roof making it an urban rooftop paradise all year long. So come a bit early to catch the marvelous Dubai sunset.

For reservations, please call +971 54 440 0227. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

DUBAI, UAE: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has ramped up hiring activity across a number of different industry areas, majority of which has occurred in the travel and tourism sector, largely coming from hotel chains and airline operators, according to GlobalData, a data analytics and consulting company headquartered in London, England.

In a report submitted to media, the think tank said job postings have been increasing since January 2021, but has really picked up in July. 

According to the company’s Job Analytics Database, job advertisements in the UAE have increased by 148% between July 2020 and July 2021. 

Ajay Thalluri, Business Fundamentals Analyst at GlobalData, said Expo 2020, happening in Dubai in October 2021, will likely fetch the UAE over 25 million visitors. 

The country is also likely to host the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 cricketing event in September 2021. These two major events, combined with the recovering economy, have spurred hiring activity among leading hospitality companies in order to meet heightened service requirements.”

Accor Hotels leads companies tracked by GlobalData in terms of job postings that directly refer to Dubai Expo 2020 between July 2020 and July 2021, representing over 50%. 

The company is among the many that are hiring for the event. GlobalData’s Job Analytics database also shows that the company listed over 15% of total job postings in the UAE between July 2020 and July 2021. New hires are likely to facilitate operations across eight Accor hotels that are scheduled to open in 2021, one of which is close to Dubai World Trade Centre.

Another hospitality major, Marriott International, is accelerating job postings, with a rise from 36 jobs advertised in July 2020 to over 200 in July 2021. While the company is hiring in several cities such as Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Al Ain and Sharjah, around 70% of its total job postings between July 2020 and July 2021 were based in Dubai.

Thalluri said: “Top hospitality companies such as Hilton Worldwide, InterContinental Hotels Group, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Minor International, and Raddison Hotel Group have stepped up hiring in the UAE. The companies’ hires are mostly for cooks, waiters/waitresses and bartenders.”

Airline companies such as the Emirates Group and Wizz Air Holdings are also increasing hires. The Emirates Group looks to provide customer service solutions and is actively selling event tickets and related products at Expo 2020. Meanwhile, Wizz Air partnered with Abu Dhabi Development Holdings Company to operate a low-cost airline in early 2021. The company has listed around 250 jobs in the UAE since January 2021, most of which are for experienced cabin crew roles. 

Interestingly, construction and software companies are listing jobs to make the most of the event. For instance, SAP SE is hiring for interns and temporary contract roles. The company is gearing up for the first public facing event with a 900 square meter floor space at Dubai Expo 2020. It has a dedicated ‘SAP Expo Program Director’ role to oversee marketing and branding activities. Siemens AG is another company that is providing infrastructure digitization at Expo 2020 venue. The company is hiring sizeable numbers, including interns, in the UAE.

The UAE will host Dubai Expo 2020 after being elected in 2013 by the Bureau International des Expositions.  (Photo by Tawpee Comeso) 

Mohamed Amine Zouhri, who’s from the city of Sfisef in Algeria, set off in 2009 to work in Dubai. Today, he is among the really lucky ones to have landed a job at Dubai Duty Free where he is currently employed as team leader for a luxury perfume brand named Creed.

“The things that makes me happy and love the most about my job is that I am an employee in one of the best airport and duty free in the world. And also, what makes me love my job is that I get to work with employees of different nationalities,” Mohamed said.

He said he grew up in a city back home, loving sports, running and swimming. “When I got my baccalaureate degree, my ambition was to choose the Arabic, French and German translation department. My goal is to work in Dubai, one of the best cities in the world,” Mohammed said.

They say Dubai is an expensive city to live in. Mohamed says it’s actually a matter of choice.

“I think it is wrong to say that Dubai is an expensive city,” he says. “In my personal opinion, for example, there are 7-star and 3-star hotels, choose the hotel according to your ability (to pay).”

Mohamed says he likes the Creek more than any other place in Dubai.  “I see the originality,” he explains.

Asked what keeps him going, Mohamed said: “The security, safety and the humble and hospitable Emirati people. I always feel that UAE is my second country, and it all goes back to the wise leadership, thanks to the foresight and wisdom of the rulers of this country.”

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A Canadian national based in Dubai was announced as the latest US$1 million winner in the Dubai Duty Free (DDF) Millennium Millionaire at the draw held on Wednesday, July 28 in Concourse B at Dubai International Airport.

Forty-two-year-old Ibrahim T. became the latest US$1 million winner in the Millennium Millionaire Series 364 with ticket number 3031 which he purchased on July 6 when he went to Jordan for a vacation.

A frequent visitor to Dubai for many years, Mr. T., who applied for Dubai residency last year, has been a regular buyer of Millennium Millionaire tickets for 10 years now.

Mr. T. who runs a film distribution company with offices in Dubai, Jordan and Egypt was elated to hear of his win and commented, “I love Dubai and Dubai Duty Free! You’re amazing products and promotions. Thank you Dubai Duty Free for this win!”

Mr. T is the 9th Canadian national to win US$1 million since the start of the Millennium Millionaire promotion in 1999.

The Millennium Millionaire draw was conducted by DDF’s Executive Vice Chairman & CEO, Colm McLoughlin, COO Ramesh Cidambi, Executive Vice President – Corporate Services, Salah Tahlak and Sinead El Sibai, SVP – Marketing.

Following the Millennium Millionaire draw, the DDF Finest Surprise draw was conducted for three luxury vehicles. Joining the draw line-up was Mona Al Ali, SVP – HR, Michael Schmidt, SVP – Retail Support, Sharon Beecham, VP – Purchasing and Zayed Al Shebli, VP – Loss Prevention and Corporate Security.

Mr. Abdolhossein Keshavarz, a 62-year-old Iranian national based in Dubai won a Mercedes Benz GLS 580 4M (Polar White) car, with ticket number 0620 in Finest Surprise Series 1779, which he purchased online on 1st July.

A regular participant in Dubai Duty Free’s promotion for four years now, Mr. Keshavarz bought two tickets for Series 1779. 

A businessman and a resident of Dubai since 1996, Mr. Keshavarz owns a cosmetics business for export.

“Thank you so much Dubai Duty Free. I’m very happy with this win,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Sean Middleton, an Indian national based in the UAE, won a Harley-Davidson Sportster Iron XL 1200NS (Vivid Black) motorbike, with ticket number 0751 in Finest Surprise Series 462, which he purchased online on 6th July.

Mr. Middleton could not be reached as of press time, but will surely be surprised to hear of his win.

Lastly, Ms. Martha Rosari, a 36-year-old Indonesian national based in Dubai won a BMW R 1250 R (HP Edition) motorbike, with ticket number 0704 in Finest Surprise 463, which she purchased on 14th July in Dubai International Airport where she works for Emirates Airline as a senior airport service agent.

Ms. Rosari is a lucky double winner as she previously won an Indian Vintage Dark Horse (Thunder Black Smoke) motorbike, with ticket number 0512 in Finest Surprise Series 437 in January 2021. She is currently the only Indonesian national to win a motorbike since it was introduced into the Finest Surprise promotion in 2002.

Commenting on her win, she said, “This is such an amazing blessing! I just celebrated my birthday three days ago. Thank you so much again Dubai Duty Free.”

Ms. Rosari purchased six tickets for Series 437 and split the ticket cost with three other colleagues.

Priyadi Munadi, who hails from Jakarta in Indonesia, is an aircraft supervisor who arrived in Dubai 10 years ago.

“I supervise the turnaround of an aircraft, leading a team to unload and load the aircraft, liaising with the pilot about the loads information as well as ensuring weight and balance of aircraft,” Priyadi said.

As such, Priyadi’s job takes him everywhere. “I’ve been to 24 cities, and worked in Doha and Kuala Lumpur,” he said.

But none of these cities were quite like Dubai, especially considering the city’s multi-ethnic set-up, he said.

“Working with a team of mixed nationalities gives me access to learning how to accept differences…I become more tolerant and respectful,” says Priyadi.

Priyadi has a wife and children back home, and they keep him going despite the erratic schedule at work and the distance away from them.

Priyadi has a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering. He says he “really enjoys music festivals,” and has been in the city long enough to know where the best bargains are.

“Dubai may perhaps be expensive but for the tourists; I know where to buy things,” he says. 

Mosarof Hossain arrived in Dubai from Bangladesh on May 7, 2012 and was soon working as a cleaner. “The moment you get here,” he says, “you waste no time looking for work.”

“You can’t be choosy; just get whatever comes your way,” Mosarof, who now is lifeguard at a five-star hotel, added.

“I started out with a cleaning company, then became a spa attendant, a lifeguard and a guest relations staff. Next time, I’ll be the supervisor,” he said, beaming with confidence.

Mosarof says he loves his job in the hospitality sector. “I enjoy meeting different people and making new friends every day,” he says.

Which is why, they say, Mosarof is always seen with a smile on his face.

Another reason for that infectious smile is Dubai itself, he says.  “I enjoy living here in Dubai. The rules and regulations are good. The government is also very kind to expats,” Mosarof said.