François Creidi
General Manager, Caribou Coffee, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Graduated 1998
"I come from a family that has a long tradition in hospitality and it was a dream for me since my first teenage years to work in a hotel or restaurant My father encouraged me to go for that profession as he knew that interacting with people is what makes me happy.Since graduating I have moved from being a receptionist, night auditor, assistant front office manager and into the Food and Beverage business. I began as a cost controller, moved on to be Food and Beverage assistant Operations Manager to Operations Manager and finally Director of Operations. In 2010 I had the opportunity to join Caribou Coffee as a General Manager where I am expanding the brand in KSA (Saudi Arabia) and plan to open in 70 locations by the end of 2014.
I learned so many skills from my teachers at HIM including, patience, creativity, fine-tuning, etiquette, communication skills, responsibility and organization. From my fellow students I learned the valuable skills of teamwork and made friendships that have lasted throughout the years.
My advice to students is to live every minute of every day and enjoy what you are doing and don't just study hospitality to go and work in another field later. This business is very rewarding but you have to give it some time, you cannot become a General Manager from the day you graduate, but with hard work you will reach this position. Remember that life is short, stay awake for it! Always try to be excellent not average."
