As hire more than 590 Saudi male and female employees
Maram Kokandi is the first Saudi woman assumes GM position in the Saudi hospitality sector
Riyadh –: Radisson Hotel Group aims to support women’s growth within the tourism industry by empowering the younger generation and supporting them with their dreams. A key objective for Radisson Hotel Group is to achieve balanced leadership by increasing the representation of women in senior positions, breaking down the barriers that prevent women from speaking openly about their careers and harnessing the individual strengths of their female leaders. The Group’s Balanced Leadership initiative aims to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace. The program takes a three-pronged strategy to tackle the continuing problem of diversity at the top of organizations: leadership programs, inclusive policies and awareness of the issue from top bottom, including how to tackle barriers to women succeeding in business.
Highlighting this endeavor, Mr. Basel Talal, Regional Manager of Radisson Group KSA, Kuwait and Arab East said, “We aim to support both genders across this vital sector by not only offering job openings but trying to re-shape the future and lifestyle as well. Hospitality is integral ingredient of the Saudi culture. It is something that the people of Saudi Arabia are proud of, therefore, we at Radisson Group care about furthering this culture via more male and female hires together with providing distinct and future – enhancing training programs. “
“We support “Your Future is Tourism “campaign that has lately been launched in a bid to create 100,000 jobs by the end of 2021, trying to realize Saudi Vision that called for creating one million job openings in the hospitality sector by late 2030. We are part of a society that is rich in culture, therefore, we work hand in hand with relevant authorities to create more jobs in this sector. With plans to launch six new hotels during 2021, we will be able to manage more than 300 jobs for male and female Saudis by the end of this year.” Talal said.
Women in hospitality in the Middle East are not a rare occurrence, but in senior management roles, from general manager to board of director level, the numbers start dwindling. Many women who start out in the hospitality industry, reach a certain level and remain there, or leave to join another industry, or start a family.
But Radisson Hotel Group has not only been growing its portfolio across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, they have also carved out another milestone for their commitment towards Balanced Leadership, and its drive to improve diversity and inclusion within its business. Maram Kokandi, General Manager of the Park Inn by Radisson Jeddah Madinah Road made history, with her appointment as the world’s first female Saudi General Manager in the hospitality industry.
In its Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia set out a commitment to increase female participation in the workforce and has introduced a series of legislative changes to further this goal and empower women in the Kingdom.
With that in mind Radisson Hotel Group is proud to have more than 190 female employees, of which many are Saudi nationals. In line with the Kingdom’s Vision to empower women within the hospitality and tourism industry, 14% of the Group’s total hotel employees across the country are female. Their roles range from front office, marketing, human resources, sales and reservation. As a pioneer and strong advocate of balanced leadership, the Group aims to continue to support women across Saudi Arabia and make a difference by empowering the younger generation and supporting them with their dreams.
Meanwhile the Saudization is in full gear and Radisson Hotel Group has been committed to support the government with their Saudization efforts and help address the workforce gap in the local hospitality market. In order to drive their potential and support them while entering the industry, Radisson Hotel Group has launched various training programs to develop the skills and expertise of Saudi nationals in the hospitality industry and support them to reach management level.
As one of the leading hotel groups in Saudi Arabia, Radisson Hotel Group currently has more than 400 Saudi Nationals across the hotels, representing a Saudization of 29% of its total employees.
Looking at the upcoming pipeline, the Group aims to open six hotels across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2021 and is committed to further drive their effort and support young Saudi nationals with their future career.
At present, Radisson Group, which is one of the Kingdom’s fast-growing entities, operate more than 40 hotels, resorts and fully serviced apartments together with up to 10,000 rooms under operation or development. Despite the current economic downturn, the Group is set to pick up regionwide expansion as it has lately announced the launch of two new hotels in the Kingdom.