Patrick Moukarzel Leader
In High-End Environments
Once upon a time...
All started when I was at university, successfully studying business. Then, I met my first mentor, Raymond Khalife, a legendary figure in hospitality who worked during years with InterContinental. One lucky afternoon, he shared with me his passion and profoundly inspired me. I immediately quit university and entered the world of hospitality. I graduated after three years and started working in France. As soon as I felt ready, I decided to apply at Intercontinental and was lucky enough to be offered a 6 months long training experience in InterContinental Dubai. I was so excited and eager to learn more that I left the job that provided me a living and worked with all my heart almost for free. After only 2 months, I was offered to start my career as restaurant manager. This is when I met my second mentor, James Mc Donald, my Food and Beverage Manager who taught me so much about leading, managing and being a lifelong learner. After we successfully opened a gigantic structure in Cairo, I became very impatient and curious. So I went to do an opening for Park Hyatt Dubai. Then, I was offered to be Food and Beverage manager for GHM. I felt very happy, more passionate than ever, very proud of my personal achievements. Until quite recently, I felt I had found the company I would grow in until I retire. But, life decided otherwise. I needed to set myself bigger goals.
What soccer has to do with my career...
Sport has a great place in my life. I love playing all kind of sports and I love training. I also enjoy watching sport.
My favorite sport is soccer. I know. It might not sound like a posh enough activity for someone who works in high-end environments. Well. Soccer is for everyone. Soccer is for rich people, soccer is for poor people. You don’t need to spend much to play soccer with your friends. Soccer is for men, it is also for women. Soccer brings people from all backgrounds, from all countries, from all level of education together. Training to get a better technique is fun. But, hey, you are not alone when the game starts! A good soccer player needs to play fair, to acknowledge his strengths and his weaknesses, and to have a great team spirit. When you look at people playing football, you learn so much about individuals. Sometimes you even discover an amazing leader, the guy who inspires others and brings the best out of people, the guy who leads the team to success. I love playing football with my colleagues and observe what is happening during the game!
When I was in primary school, in secondary school, and in high school, I would never get on the bus without my football. I remember coming back home with a word from a teacher asking my mum to come and meet him. When they met, the teacher told her: “your son will be very successful the day he stops thinking about football and forgets to bring his ball at school.”
Well, I believe I have succeeded so far thanks to soccer. My passion taught me about about leadership and interdependency.