Special RepoRt : Leadership
Beating the corporate world
AlexAnder MirzA , CeO , CAChet hOtel GrOup
If it hadn ’ t been for Barry Sternlicht , Alexander Mirza probably wouldn ’ t be helming one of the sexiest hotel startups in Asia . In all likelihood , he wouldn ’ t even be in the hotel business . Mirza had seen the industry with the 20 / 20 vision of an outsider during his years as a management and creative consultant , and he didn ’ t like the view . “ The hotel world is a conservative old boys ’ network at the top . Everybody went to the same schools ; they all know each other ,” he says from his Hong Kong headquarters . “ That leads to more conservative hiring decisions down the line — especially in Asia , where most general managers are European men , with just a handful of women or local residents .” To his way of thinking , that didn ’ t bode well for a white-glove industry competing in a dot-com age .
However , a late- ’ 90s consulting assignment for Starwood Hotels & Resorts showed him something else . One look at the way Sternlicht ( then Starwood ’ s CEO ) was channeling innovation in technology and branding into redefining how big chains played in the hotel sector , and Mirza was hooked . “ That experience at Starwood taught me how complex and multi-faceted the
40 HOTELS April 2015 www . hotelsmag . com