Lauréat - Professional Success
Rita Amorim
Campaign - Accor UK - Glion Institute of Higher Education
Cette candidature n'est disponible qu'en anglais / This application is only available in English.
A ‘class of 2019’ graduate of Glion Institute of Higher Education, Rita has translated her academic achievements (including Eta Sigma Delta membership and Best Dissertation Award) into an exceptional start to her professional career. Already promoted to Cluster Revenue Manager, she is responsible for a portfolio of four Accor properties in London, UK.
As I sit here writing this profile, I find myself reflecting upon my journey. Not only the last few years since I graduated, but truly going back to where it all started.
I have always been mesmerized by the work of Simon Sinek, and in particular his Golden Circle theory. Although I would never dare put myself alongside the great leaders he studied, I could not help searching within for the layers that he references and how they have affected my path over the last decade.
It all starts with “The Why”. A concept that individuals and companies alike struggle to find. The very core of what drives someone to undergo the multitude of challenges ahead, without ever looking back. The vision to see ahead and not falter.
A grand concept, but what did it really mean for me? Surprisingly, the answer was not clouded in mystery. In fact, it was evidently clear why I chose this path. An unshakable admiration for what my family built over their lifetime and an undeniable passion for the happiness this brought to those around it. On a superficial level, you could say the cause of such strong feelings was the small boutique hotel of 60 bedrooms they built off the coast of Lisbon. But in truth, it was so much more, it began and ended with hospitality.
The next step was uncovering “How” I could follow in their footsteps. How could I make hospitality not only my career, but more importantly my life? The pursuit of that answer guided me to Switzerland, to the halls of Glion Institute of Higher Education. A staple mark of leadership in worldwide hospitality standards.
However, simply being accepted by this prestigious university was not enough. I knew from the very start, perhaps because of the way I was raised, that I had to give it my all to excel. I owed that much to my parents, for giving me this opportunity; and in some ways, I owed it to myself to live up to my fullest potential. Without a second thought, I dedicated the next four years of my life to being the best version of myself that I could possibly be.
Below is a list of some of the awards that made this journey ever more rewarding:
● Member of Eta Sigma Delta society;
● Certificate of Top Student and Valedictorian Speech;
● Best Dissertation Award;
● Co-founder of Glion Networking Committee and Academic head of the Student Government Association.
This brings me to the present and to the final pillar: “The What”. What is it that I do? I am currently working for Accor hotels within the Northern Europe region as a Multi-hotel Revenue Manager. In this I oversee a portfolio of properties across different markets in the UK, which generate an annual turnover of over £20 million in rooms’ revenue. My portfolio includes one of Accor’s most significant revenue drivers, the conference hotel Ibis London Earl’s Court.
Furthermore, I played an instrumental role in driving a variety of business-critical projects associated with service provision and revenue. One of the most important projects I participated in was the Standardization Project, which had the core objective of putting in place homogenous practices.
Concurrently, I remained a consultant of Arribas Sintra Hotel for their Commercial Strategy and, most recently, began my own entrepreneurial journey as co-founder of Amorim & Petit Solutions, a hospitality and real estate consulting company.
Upon finishing this reflection, I wonder what the future holds for me? Whilst I do not have that answer, I know that hospitality will always be a part of it.
