Fathimath Umar: Shaping Maldivian hospitality through food, teaching and leadership
In every industry, there are professionals whose careers extend beyond their own job titles. They help build people, raise standards and widen the path for those who come after them. In Maldivian hospitality, Fathimath Umar is one of those figures. Known to many across the industry as Chef Fathun, she has spent decades contributing to […]
From billing clerk to materials manager: Ali Shareef’s 25-year journey in procurement, learning at Angsana Velavaru
Procurement rarely takes place in view of the guest. It operates through purchase orders, supplier negotiations, quality checks, stock controls, delivery schedules and the movement of goods between Malé and resort islands. Yet almost every part of a resort operation depends on it. At Angsana Velavaru, the responsibility for coordinating this process rests with Materials […]
Mohamed Hussain Shihab: Building HR leadership through people, succession and service
When Mohamed Hussain Shihab first considered hospitality, it was not part of a long-set career plan. He was looking at colleges in Malaysia when he came across a hotel school. That encounter changed the direction of his studies, and later his career. “I didn’t plan on studying hospitality in the beginning,” Shihab says. “But while […]
Mohamed Mausoom: Making of a Maldivian leader at Velaa Private Island
At Velaa Private Island, Mohamed Mausoom’s appointment as General Manager is more than a promotion. It is the continuation of a journey that began long before titles, long before the resort established itself among the Maldives’ most exclusive addresses, and long before the industry began speaking about local leadership in ultra-luxury hospitality with the urgency […]
Seventy-five journeys back: Why Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu became home for Mr and Mrs Dissaux
For many visitors, the Maldives is the destination of a lifetime. For Mr Serge Roland René Dissaux and his wife, Jocelyne Christiane Jeanne ép. Dissaux, it has become something else entirely: a place woven into the rhythm of their lives, a country to which they have returned again and again over more than three decades, […]
Building people, building culture: Ibrahim Hameed on leading HR at Cora Cora Maldives
When Ibrahim Hameed (Ibbe) began his career at just 18, the world of hospitality was unfamiliar territory. Today, more than a decade later, he leads the Human Resources department at Cora Cora Maldives — a role that, as he describes it, “is never the same two days in a row.” “I love HR,” he says […]
Rizan Afeef: Building ‘culture architecture’ from Maldives to the Americas
When Rizan Afeef began his career in the early 2000s, he was working in commercial roles and learning the mechanics of operations and revenue. But the turning point came when he found himself “more curious about people than processes”. “I was fascinated by what made teams perform under pressure and how leadership energy influenced morale,” […]
Abdulla Fathhey: Making a big island feel effortless at Villa Park
By Maaish Mohamed and Mariyam Saliya Mohamed On an island with the scale and recognisability of Sun Island, change is never simply cosmetic. The renaming of a Maldivian mainstay to Villa Park is a high-visibility move, but for Abdulla Fathhey, General Manager of Villa Park, the point is not novelty. It is clarity. Villa Resorts […]
From ship to shore: Neil Shorthouse on Maldives, leadership, and training that changes behaviour
Neil Shorthouse arrived in the Maldives on 26 January 2008 with a career built in one of hospitality’s most demanding “remote” environments: cruise ships. For him, the comparison between shipboard life and island operations is not a metaphor — it is operational reality. “In many ways working at sea and on a remote island, are […]
Homegrown professionals drive guest experience at Coco Bodu Hithi
As a proudly Maldivian-owned hospitality group, Coco Collection continues to place local talents at the heart of its guest experience. This commitment is reflected through the team at Coco Bodu Hithi, represented by Front Office Manager, Mohamed Rishfaz, alongside Reservations Manager, Mohamed Vijudhan, whose roles spans reservations operations of both Coco Bodu Hithi and Coco […]
Balancing tradition and innovation: Award-winning Chef Ahmed Jameel on leading Tapasake at One&Only Reethi Rah
By Maaish Mohamed and Mariyam Saliya Mohamed When asked about the origins of his culinary journey, Ahmed Jameel reflects not on a professional kitchen, but on his home. “My passion for cooking started at home. My mom was an amazing cook and her ability to bring her own unique flavours to every dish truly inspired […]
Shaping first impressions: Hussain Waheed on two decades of service at One&Only Reethi Rah
By Maaish Mohamed and Mariyam Saliya Mohamed When Hussain Waheed joined One&Only Reethi Rah in 2002, he could not have imagined that more than two decades later he would still be at the forefront of shaping the guest journey at one of the Maldives’ most recognised resorts. Today, as Airport Manager, he is one of […]
