SAUDI ARABIA - Key Persons
Based at Hilton's MEA Regional Office in Dubai, Emma Banks is responsible for F&B strategy and development across Europe, the Middle East and Africa supporting Hilton's trading and future pipeline of hotels.
Over the course of Emma's career, she has seamlessly transitioned from independents to large global hospitality companies. She joined Hilton in 2019 with a mission to make the company the clear leader in food and drink. In but a short time she has made a big impact, bringing a wealth of exceptional F&B specialist talent into the business while being actively involved in Hilton's various diversity initiatives.
Emma recognizes the critical responsibility that food and drink plays in protecting the planet and has been involved in several market-leading initiatives over the last decade to reduce single-use plastics, track food waste and source ingredients locally, which was recognised at Gulfood, when Emma was named Sustainability Professional of The Year 2023, and most recently as Sustainability Champion of the Year at the Hotelier Middle East awards 2023.
Emma is also a role model to women in the industry, ranking #1 in Caterer Middle East's "2020 Women in F&B" Power List. At the end of 2020 Emma was elected a Member of the Board of Governors and Member of the Board of the Academic Committee of Dubai College of Tourism (DCT). In 2023, Emma was acknowledged with a Middle East Women Leader Award at the World Women Leadership Congress Awards Middle East, for her contribution to the promotion of empowerment and social change, she was also included in the 2023 Top Women in Travel and Hospitality report by Women Leading Travel & Hospitality and most recently as the Winner of the Excellence in Hospitality category at FilmFare's Most Influential Women Awards 2024.
Emma holds a Bachelor's Degree from Leeds University and lives in Dubai with her husband Jon, beloved daughter Lily and a menagerie of rescue cats and dogs!
Job Titles:
- General Manager of Hilton Sharm Waterfalls Resort
Kamel Ajami is responsible for Hilton's dynamic portfolio of hotels across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Levant. In this fast-growing region, Kamel oversees the operations of over 35 trading hotels across six of Hilton's market-leading brands - with a pipeline of 80 properties in total across these markets and plans to introduce five additional Hilton brands over the next few years.
Prior to holding his current position, which he assumed in July 2020, Ajami spent almost five years as Hilton's Vice President of Operations for KSA & Levant. In this role, he oversaw the company's operations in multiple markets including Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Jordan.
Ajami joined Hilton in 2000 as the General Manager of Hilton Sharm Waterfalls Resort in Egypt, after having successfully led hotel teams as general manager in both the UAE and Egypt. In 2012, Ajami was promoted to country manager for Jordan. Not before long, his remit expanded to include Lebanon up until his subsequent promotion in 2015.
Born and raised in Lebanon, Ajami holds a bachelor's degree from the Hotel Management Administration School, London University, UK. He also holds a certification from Cornell University after completing Hilton's GM Excellence programme, and another from the Institute for Leadership and Global Education (ILGE).
Job Titles:
- Innovation Education and Investments Regional Manager for the UNWTO Regional Office in Riyadh
Master in Project Management from Esden Business School. PMI-certified PMP. Master in Marketing and Commercial Management from IE Business School. Master in Audio-visual Production from IEEA. Degree in Audio-visual Communication from the University of Malaga.
Expert in technology and innovation applied to the tourism sector. From February 2003 until June 2020, he developed his professional career in Tourism in SEGITTUR, a state-owned company integrated into the Spanish Ministry of Industry Trade and Tourism and attached to the State Secretariat for Tourism, responsible for promoting innovation (R&D) in the Spanish tourism sector, both in the public sector.
Since 2012 he was involved, in different capacities, in the development and management of the Smart Tourist Destinations program. From 2019 to 2022 he was responsible for the direction and coordination of all the Smart Tourism Destination Projects in Latin America, coordinating projects in Tequila, Medellín and Bogotá.
In 2018 he coordinated the Extremadura Smart Territory project, the first adaptation to an Autonomous Community of the Smart Tourism Destinations methodology.
Previously, he was responsible for the implementation of the technological management tools of the Smart Tourist Destinations program, SEGITTUR's mobile application development projects, the deployment of the public WIFI network of El Hierro (Canary Islands) and the design of the Volcanological Interpretation Centre of El Hierro.
Kabbani joined ROSHN, the Kingdom's premier integrated community developer, as Group Chief Development Officer in 2022, helping to shape at unprecedented speed the Group's developments across the nation as it is the most trusted leading mixed-use developer. Kabbani is a driving force behind the implementation of ROSHN's vision for a new way of life in Saudi Arabia, integrating world-class homes and amenities with open and green spaces, all the while emphasizing walkability, sociability, and sustainability.
Oussama Kabbani is a seasoned leader with 33 years of development management experience in large-scale master planning and mixeduse/
residential development projects across the GCC and beyond. Throughout his career, he has led and shaped significant urban design, master planning, and downtown development projects from inception to completion.
Over the course of his career, Kabbani has played a role in shaping cities, including Beirut, Boston, Amman, Muscat, Dubai, Jeddah, and Riyadh, as well as projects in Kazakhstan and Malaysia.
Job Titles:
- Senior Conference Manager