Alejandro Bernabe
General Manager Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates, Dubai, UAE
Graduated 1995
"It was thanks to a range of circumstances that I began my studies at HIM and was introduced to an industry with fantastic career opportunities.When I graduated, I began my career with the Hilton Group moving from Cannes to Colombo and Jakarta. In 1999 I joined the Kempinski Group and I have been very fortunate to be able to move and grow within the chain. Starting as the Food and Beverage Manager in Jakarta, I have worked my way up via Spain, Russia, Turkey, Malta, Kuwait and Jordan to my current position as General Manager of the Kempinski Mall of the Emirates in Dubai.
The highlight of my career so far was to be involved in the opening of the Kempinski Hotel Aqaba. It is a beautiful hotel and as I was involved in the whole opening process, I was very proud to see it open and positioned as the number one hotel in the region in a short amount of time.
Two of the most important skills that I learned at HIM and have taken with me through my career are, how to deal with people from different cultures, backgrounds and religions and the importance of discipline. I also have to thank HIM for the great people I met and still remain friends with today and most importantly it is where I met my wife, my greatest supporter and confidante during all these years.
My professional philosophy is to remember the people you met on your way up; you will need them on your way down and to always remember that we would be nothing without the people around us."
