Career opportunities for women in the region’s
travel and tourism industry highlighted during inspirational talk from DUKES Dubai MD Debrah Dhugga
at ATM panel session
Women in the workforce have been in the
spotlight in the UAE recently with three companies launched in recent weeks designed to help women find career
roles – Hopscotch, Mums@Work and Making Mumpreneurs added to the recent
announcement that eight women had been handed ministerial roles in the recent
UAE cabinet reshuffle.
Dhugga was speaking at Arabian Travel Market’s
first ever session dedicated to women entitled ‘Women in
Travel: Opportunities and Trends in the Middle East’. The session was
moderated by Alessandra Alonso, Chief Mentor, Everyday Mentor and Carol Hay, Director of Marketing,
UK and Europe
Caribbean Tourism Organisation also joined the panel.
The topic was
highlighted by Debrah Dhugga, MD of DUKES London and Dubai, who is also a
career mentor to women, as she discussed how there are some fantastic prospects
for women in this region but that more could be done to attract good candidates. I am inspired by the recent appointment for
Dubai The minister of Happiness a female leader. Perhaps things will change and
more companies will follow and give opportunity.
“There are lots of opportunities for
women in business in the UAE and women shouldn't be afraid to put themselves
forward,” for AN opportunity she said. “There is also so much more that could
be done to attract career minded women,” she continued.
“Women are hard workers and dedicated however within the travel and tourism sector
specifically, it can be very challenging to carve out a career, motherhood and
a partnership due to its 24/7 nature, but there are opportunities for flexible
ways of working that would suit women with children, for instance.”
Dhugga
went on to share her own experience of starting out as a hotel trainee manager.
“When
I first took a board position I remember walking into the room and there were
nine men sitting around the table,” she said. “All that was running through my
mind was whether I should be wearing trousers rather than a skirt, I soon
realised this didn’t matter at all. As long as you are in control of what you
are doing, you believe in yourself and ask questions along the way then you are
likely to succeed. I truly believe a
mixed gender builds a better business. Men and women have different strengths
pull them together and look at the results
On tackling
the issue of balancing a family life with a career she had the following advice.
“As
a mother, you need to be prepared to make sacrifices,” she said. “I have a son
and a daughter who are now grown up and young professionals – but when they
were younger, I paid more in childcare than I was earning - you have to weigh
up what the overall, long-term benefits for the family.”
“I
did make sacrifices as I travelled a lot, but I wouldn’t change my career path
and I am sure my daughter will now follow in my footsteps,” she said. “Being
organised is an absolute priority. I always had two lists on the go – a
working day list and a family list. It’s also important to be honest with your
employer about corporate social and weekend expectations, if you decide to commit
to a full-time role.” Being a mother
with young children
Currently, Debrah Dhugga is working on
the launch of DUKES Dubai on Palm Jumeirah, which has a mixed gender executive
team.
“I prefer having a mixed executive team as
it provides a more creative dynamic, but we would like more female F&B
applicants – we rarely get CVs from female chefs, for example, even though that
trend is positive in the UK and the US.”
Owned by Dubai-based luxury property
developer and holding company Seven Tides International, DUKES Dubai is the
first international property for the DUKES Collection brand, whose flagship
hotel DUKES London is a popular destination for GCC travellers.
Located on the trunk of the Palm Jumeirah and
opening in Q4 2016, DUKES Dubai will add a distinctly British flavour to the city’s
luxury hospitality offering. The property features 279 guestrooms and 227 hotel
apartments and will offer world-class leisure, conference and entertainment
facilities including a private beach and infinity pool.
A key part of the proposition is the Duchess
Floor, which caters solely to women and is staffed by an all-female team. Rooms
will boast increased security, fluffy bathrobes, premium toiletries, fresh
flowers and glossy magazines – added extras based on demands identified through
DUKES consumer research.
For more information,
please visit www.dukesdubai.com
or www.seventides.com
