FEATURE
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FEMALE GM FEATURE
Breaking barriers
Hotel Owner had the opportunity to speak with Hessa Al Mazrou, the first ever female GM in the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in light of AccorHotels recently relaunched diversity and inclusion network,
‘RiiSE’. She is an accomplished hotelier, and ALESSANDRO CARRARA set out to uncover her
journey and what advice she would give other women wanting to enter leadership roles themselves
W
hen asked how she ended up willing to take up the challenge”,
becoming the first and only she says.
Al Mazrou believes there is “no one
female GM in Saudi Arabia,
Hessa Al Mazrou is emphatic: “Because I who will give you a chance if you don’t
deserved it”. She has had a long history in deserve it” and says she considers
the hospitality industry, initially with the Al herself “very eager to learn and to take
Hokair hotel group. She originally started up challenges”. She points to her family
off in the PR and communication field in as main source of inspiration, and says
2004, noting that she has always been a it is with their support that she was
“marketeer by nature”, but has now held a encouraged to realise her full potential.
position as GM for over two years within the She goes on to say that the hotel
“exciting” hospitality sector. industry is a actually a very “feminine
zone by nature”, and women really have
Al Mazrou is a part of the ‘Women at
Accor Generation’, a 10,000-strong global the opportunity to show their “feminine
network that was launched to “overcome signature within and through the service
gender stereotypes, promote gender that they provide”.
equality and offer support to women within
Hessa Al Mazrou
Worth mentioning are the events Al
Mazrou has participated in for women’s
the Accor Group”. The hotel brand recently
re-launched the scheme in November of this GROWING OPPORTUNITIES IN empowerment. The first was in November
year, renaming it to ‘RiiSE’, and confirmed its SAUDI ARABIA 2017, in Abu Dhabi, where she gave a
desire to “promote diversity and renewed its Saudi Arabia has long faced criticism for speech about her experience and story of
commitment to diversity and inclusion”. its stance on women’s rights, but as a becoming the first female Saudi GM. She
During the first few months of 2017, result of its ‘Vision 2030’ plan there has says she was greatly supported at the
Al Mazrou reveals, she was offered the been a slew of widespread initiatives to event and “felt a great amount of pride”.
opportunity to become GM of Novotel increase the participation of women in Another was in the city of Jeddah, during
Suites Riyadh Olaya Hotel, which she says the workplace. Other changes include the first few months of 2018, and was the
was given as a “challenge to prove my women being able to join the military, second edition of AccorHotels’ Women’s
capability”. One of the biggest aspects that drive, and visit sports arenas and Empowerment and Integration Forum
she felt she had to overcome was proving cinemas. which looks to inspire a new generation of
that she can “run the position perfectly and
Al Mazrou says there is a “huge
young Saudi women to reach the “highest
compete with the other men in this field”, number” of opportunities for women who level” of professional development. “It was
and adds that first impressions from some “want to be a leader in the hospitality very special for me as I had a opportunity
guests is still often surprise. However, she sector”. She also believes that her to speak with other Saudi women
firmly believes that it is a “nice surprise”, and experience sets a good example for working for AccorHotels,” she says, “and
has found “great support” from the guests other women aspiring to enter leadership I was yet again filled with a great amount
who offer her “luck and encouragement”. roles. “I think the leaders in this sector of pride when they said they see me as a
“Comments like these from my guests such as AccorHotels, Al Hokair and other great role model. I was so happy when I
definitely make me feel even more hotel chain businesses want to give heard that.”
encouraged to work,” she adds. opportunities to Saudi women if they are
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www.hotelowner.co.uk
Overall, Al Mazrou says she was
December 2018