ALPHA HOTELIERS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Talent Management Consultant
Ali comes from the Maldives and is one of the pioneers of hospitality-related higher education in the Maldives. He started his career in 1992 and became the Dean of the Faculty of Hospitality & Tourism Studies, Maldives National University, in 1997.
In 2010, he retired from the government and started his private sector assignments at Soneva by Six Sense. He then went on to work in some of the major businesses in the Maldives, including Crown & Champa Resorts of Maldives, the Minor Food Group of Thailand, the Universal Hotels of Maldives, and Sun Hotels and Resorts of Mauritius.
Ali has a Master of Science in Human Resources Management from Strathclyde University, UK.
Job Titles:
- Wellness and Ecology Consultant
Catarina comes from Sweden and is an enterprising project leader and chemical engineer focusing on design, environmental solutions, and social responsibility. Extensive experience from high-end tourism destinations like Maldives, Seychelles, Mauritius, and Barbados.
She has worked with several large projects for hospitality and resort development ranging from running large refurbishment projects, evaluating production facilities regarding quality, sustainability, logistics and cost-effectiveness, creating SPA and wellness concepts with exclusive customized products for hotel boutiques & retail operators, as well as room amenities & accessories collections for hotels. She has experience in leading the development of several product and service solutions within organizations and through collaborative networks.
Catarina has a master's degree in Chemical engineering from Chalmers University, Sweden.
Job Titles:
- Food Safety & Quality Assurance Consultant
Hassan comes from the Maldives, and he started his career with the Ministry of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture, Maldives. Since then, he has gained education and hands-on experience, working with experts from reputed organizations, including the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA), and Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA).
He has traveled to all the corners of the Maldives to train and guide communities on food processing and food safety. He has also assisted some fish processing plants in getting EU compliance certification and implementing of HACCP standard, which is required to have fish and seafood from the Maldives exported to European countries.
Hassan has a Master's degree in food science (Food Quality Assurance) from the University of Leeds, UK., and a Bachelor's Degree in Applied Science (Food Science) from Charles Sturt University, Australia.
Job Titles:
- Hotel Management & Community Empowerment Consultant
Jaana comes from Finland and is a lifelong hotelier, educator, and project manager. She has worked and gained immense experience in Tanzania, Maldives, Oman, Netherlands, and Finland.
She is well versed in aligning CSR goals with UN SDGs, benefiting the company and both local and global society. Excellent networking skills with proven, established networks such as Lady Leaders in Tourism Network in Oman. She has extensive project management experience, from design to reporting, in the context of tourism destination development and capacity building via EU Interreg and Erasmus programs.
Jaana has deep knowledge of the possibilities that international tourism trends bring, such as experience designing and personalization, digitalization, silver economy, leisure travel, responsible travel, and the emergence of the "wellness through organic food" market.
Job Titles:
- Diving & Water Sports Consultant
Marc comes from New Zealand and has over 20 years of successful track record, managing dive and water sports business between Maldives, Kenya, and New Zealand. He started his career in the automobile industry in New Zealand as a Senior Product & Process Engineer with Honda NZ for eight years before moving to hospitality, working in the diving and water sports sector.
Marc has made the Maldives his home since 1994 and has founded Ocean Dimensions in 2007, and was the resident dive and water sports operator at Six Senses Laamu for six years since they opened in 2011. He currently operates out of Kihaa Maldives Resort and Brennia Kottafaru Maldives.
Job Titles:
- Hotel Operations Consultant
Shifaaq comes from the Maldives and started his career in the Maldives in 1997, working at the hotel front office and reservations. In 2004, he migrated to Austria to settle there with his family. He is active in the hospitality sector in Austria and has had extensive training also in hospitality, food and beverage services, work ethics, and culture.
Shifaaq assists European clients and companies to enter the Maldives hotel market through acquisition or investment.
Job Titles:
- Sales & Revenue Management Consultant
Shiham comes from the Maldives and started his career in the hotel accounting department, hotel front office, and reservations before specializing in Sales and Revenue Management. He has successfully transformed local house brand resorts to make profits by strategically placing the product on the market.
Shiham has degrees in Hospitality and Tourism from Maldives National University and Taylors University Malaysia.
Job Titles:
- Housekeeping, Sales and Revenue Consultant
Thoufeeq comes from the Maldives and started working in the hospitality sector during his college years.
After graduation, he joined the largest hotel group in the Maldives as an Assistant Executive Housekeeper. Since then, he has worked and mastered the housekeeping work of resort hotels and cruise ships. His work with the Carnival Cruise Liner took him from Asia to Miami, Alaska, the Virgin Islands, and many other destinations. In addition to Housekeeping, Thoufeeq is also a master in Reservations Systems, Sales & Marketing, and Revenue Management.
Thoufeeq has a National Diploma in Hospitality Management from the Maldives National University and Higher Diploma from Taylor's University, Malaysia. In addition to being a professional hotelier, he is also an amateur aviculturist.
Thoha comes from the Maldives and has over 20 years of experience in hospitality and tourism management and hotel development & investment. He has assisted hotels in achieving service quality and performance awards, including TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence Award and TripAdvisor Hall of Fame, HolidayCheck Award, Agoda Gold Circle Award, and Expedia Best Overall Producer Award.
He also assisted the properties in receiving Presidential Award for Human Resources Development and TraveLife Gold Award for sustainable tourism and best practices.
Thoha has extensive experience in the successful development, pre-openings, and operations, leading a multi-cultural workforce and achieving exceptional results in finance and guest satisfaction through empowerment, skill development, and process streamlining.