Time Hotels Management, a UAE-based hospitality company, has appointed Nabil Samuel as its new corporate vice president, Human Resources.

An Egyptian national, Samuel joins the team with a mandate to focus on expanding the group’s international talent base and overseeing employee development to drive competitive advantage.

“Nabil has almost 30 years’ experience in the hospitality sector, of which 17 years have been dedicated to human resources, and has worked both at the sharp end of the industry in key learning and development roles as well as at a senior corporate level, building brand culture,” said Mohamed Awadalla, CEO, TIME Hotels.

“We have an ambitious agenda that will see our portfolio grow from 10 to 14 operational properties in three countries within the next 18 months; and with four distinct brands making up the TIME Hotels banner, his role will be to lead our human resources operation to ensure that we recruit, develop and retain team members, from the top down, who are committed to taking the TIME brand to the next level,” he added.

Samuel’s career path has seen him work with leading international hotel chains such as Accor Hotels, Hyatt International and Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts where he held HR director for Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Levant; regional director Egypt and regional director of Learning & Development; and HR Africa roles respectively.

Prior to joining the TIME Hotels’ team, he was vice president Human Resources for Dubai-headquartered Damac Hospitality where he was responsible for establishing the corporate human resources structure, budgets, policies and procedures including the brand DNA, culture, vision and strategy, as well as overseeing the recruitment strategy and talent sourcing management.

In this high profile role he also defined the learning and development strategy, driving innovative concepts such as the Damac Virtual L&D Academy; while during his tenure with Accor Hotels he established the first local management trainee programme to develop future managers in Saudi Arabia (sponsored by the Saudi Commission of Tourism & Antiques), and created the Highpos Programme for all 55 Accor hotels in the region, with the aim of identifying, nurturing and promoting internal talent.

Samuel said: “Innovation in the field of human resources management is something that I am a strong advocate of, as it has the power to reshape the recruitment and talent development landscape.

“In my new role with TIME Hotels, I look forward to driving new concepts and strategic initiatives that will not only benefit the people at the heart of our business – our employees – but also help secure the company’s position as a hospitality leader in the region and preferred choice for prospective team members as well as for our guests." – TradeArabia News Service