Mohamed Shuhail – Director of Human Resources at Brennia Kottefaru

Mohamed Shuhail is the Director of Human Resources in the new and upcoming island resort of Brennia Kottefaru in Raa Atoll, Maldives. Holding a Bachelor’s Degree from University of Sunderland in International Tourism and Hospitality Management, Shuhail has held significant posts before joining the Brennia Family.

Can you tell us about your career before joining Brennia Kottefaru?

Always with a passion for the Tourism industry but due to stipulations Shuhail earlier served at the National Services of the Maldives, reflecting on his earlier days he shares “Just after school, I joined Hotel School to build my career in this field. But because of my height, I was forced to join MNDF since there was a mandatory bond to serve the government. So, I had to leave Hotel school. But after I completed 21 years in the National Service, I thought again of joining this field, because I always had the interest to work in the hospitality industry”.

What do you consider to be your greatest personal success?

One may recall Shuhail for delivering numerous nostalgic tunes while his tenure at the Maldives National Services, Shuhail is a true artist who has made the best out of many situations, when asked about his greatest personal success, Shuhail responded saying,” My greatest personal success I would say is being able to use the experience and training that I gained during my time in the National Service in this industry. Even during my studies, I learned that it is not only the qualification but experience that allows us to apply what we study. Within a short period of time, since I entered the industry, I have achieved the milestone in my carrier and have been holding the highest position in HR throughout my career”.

What are your views on the local talents currently working in senior roles in the tourism industry?

As an eminent Human Resources personnel, he shared his view about the local talents working in senior roles in the Tourism Industry, “If we look at Brennia itself, 8 out of the 10 senior management positions are Maldivians. We have well-educated and experienced locals in the country waiting for an opportunity in the tourism industry. Some of the leading establishments in the industry are now opening up this opportunity. This trend of appointing locals to the senior positions is growing very fast among many resorts that I know”.  Furthermore, he added about Brennia Kottefaru “We have almost all the facilities that someone will look forward to when joining a resort. On top of that, we are upgrading our staff gym facilities and will be starting on the staff futsal ground shortly. With this new futsal ground, we will also have a new staff recreational hall with a lot of games and a bar that our staff can enjoy”.

Do you have any words of advice for anyone looking to join the industry?

Concluding he also highlighted his advice to the younger generation looking forward to working in the Maldives Tourism Industry “I will advise them to join resorts that have predominantly local management like Brennia Kottefaru. My experience is that in resorts where Senior Team that includes more locals creates aspirations for the young and role model for younger locals. Even now, we are looking for young, energetic, and trained local staff to give them a touch of Brennia that they will always cherish in their whole hospitality career. We have started to build a strong local team that can start a new chapter in this industry. We also encourage more female to join Brennia to create an environment where female empowerment is as equal as males. Brennia Kottefaru is going to be the best choice for locals in the coming future. By looking at the experience, we have set our future goals for increasing locals working in the resort and have already started working towards achieving this goal. We will never look back, Insha Allah”.