Dubai: 60 students from 12 schools around the region are competing for a spot in the MEA Future Leaders Challenge’s live finals at the Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management in Dubai, one of the competition’s founding partners along with GameChangers Community and Hilton. The Challenge will has started on 16th January and run until 18th January 2023.
The MEA Future Leaders Challenge (MEA FLC) is a new initiative that creates a community to tackle future challenges in the hospitality industry and aspires to develop the MEA Region as the best talent developer in the world.
The platform brings together industry leaders, students, and universities. It also focuses on game-changing collaborations and initiatives between these stakeholders, to enhance the quality of education, talent development and human capital focus. The overarching goal is to attract and inspire talent to choose hospitality and tourism as their choice of careers.
“As the hospitality industry continues to witness rapid growth across the Middle East & Africa, it is crucial that we have a strong pool of diversified talent to resource this exciting new era of travel and tourism. The MEA FLC promises to be a hive of activity, with an action-packed program, top-level coaches, and a challenging live event. I am looking forward to starting the live event,” Mr. Jochem-Jan Sleiffer, President, Middle East, Africa and Türkiye at Hilton and founding partner of the program, remarked.
“Events like the Future Leaders Challenge are vital to solidify the region’s position as a key talent builder for the global hospitality industry. Transferable skills like creativity, communication, problem-solving, social intelligence, and sense-making are the key to professional success in the hospitality industry, especially when intertwined with relevant hospitality management know-how and business acumen. The Future Leaders Challenge provides the movers and shakers of tomorrow the perfect opportunity to cultivate and showcase those talents, all while solving real-world challenges,” Mr. Jeroen Greven, Managing Director of The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management, commented.