Ms. Matuli Madhusmita Swain - Marketing and Communications

We meet many people and there are some we connect instantly, all thanks to the charishma that they exude. One such person happens to be a lady I connected with on the IWH platform. I haven’t met her in person but from the interactions we have had I know she is an amazing young woman, promising hospitality professional and truly the Boss Lady! She has had an illustrious career doing some fantabulous work and winning accolades; read about her inspiring journey here. IWH in conversation with the dynamic Ms. Matuli Madhusmita Swain,  Head Marketing and Communications, Crowne Plaza, Jaipur Tonk Road (IHG).

IWH:  Tell us something about you, your growing up years, life through school, college etc.

Matuli:  I have had a very secure upbringing as a child. With parents as educationists and growing up in Bhubaneswar, Odisha in an academic campus – education was the main focus. As a child, I did not have much scope to explore my creative side, though I did find my passion for public speaking when I enrolled for and won my first debate competition.  I am extremely fortunate to have had the privilege of being good at academics and having the opportunity to pursue a strong academic career all through school and college. Dance and art are my therapies and in my MBA course, I decided to opt for marketing major

I have always loved business studies and am equally passionate about lifestyle, so it should be of no surprise that I graduated with a gold medal in Economics major and Sociology minor and landed in Hospitality! Talk of synergies here!

IWH:  What made you select Hospitality as a career? Was it easy making that decision?

Matuli:  I firmly believe that this industry chose me as her God-child. When my campus recruitments were happening, I got selected to be a part of The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts on day one. I haven’t looked back since then, and it has been a winsome 12 years – of which 8 years have been in Hospitality and detours have led me to Advertising and Social Development sector. What made my decision easy was that I never second guessed myself when choosing this career – it was my first interview, I cleared it and something in my heart told me I’d do just fine. It’s been more than just okay so far – it’s been a good ride.

IWH:  What is your current role?

Matuli: I head Marketing and Communications for Crowne Plaza Jaipur Tonk Road (IHG). This is a lateral move for me, as compared to my previous role. I chose it as with Jaipur, I finally got a chance to get my hands-on marketing & communications experience across a pan India domain, as my earlier hospitality stint has taken me to Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Kovalam and Goa. Jaipur is a growing market, very seasonal in terms of business and immensely beautiful. It is an interesting marketing mix!

IWH:  How has your hospitality journey been so far? Pros, cons etc?

Matuli:  To sum it in one word – ENRICHING. I have had the privilege to work with industry icons and learn so much. The industry is dynamic and ever changing – so you are always on your toes. Hospitality teaches you patience and the ability to absorb stress, like no other.  This industry really consumes you, it indeed is a 24/7 – 365 years a day kind of career – you really cannot ever let it go. The flip side, I have never seen a festival with family and friends as invariably, all festive days, especially year end celebrations happen to be working days, spent at the hotel, cheering with other guests and your team.

IWH:  Who has been your mentor or a role model? In what way has that person helped you?

Matuli:  My mentor, Alexa Poortier, Founder – NOW Transforming Hospitality GmbH taught me how to be a Boss Babe at work – impeccable integrity and crafting memorable marketing campaigns along the way.

She taught me everything I could ever know as a fresher and I am really lucky to have been trained by her. From crafting a marketing plan to executing a full-fledged campaign, it was Alexa who was my rock; on which I laid my foundation training of hospitality marketing communications.

Apart from her, I deeply admire Vishvapreet Singh Cheema, Area General Manager North India, (IHG), as great industry leader to work with. His passion for work and faith in his team really inspire you to do better.

IWH:  What have been the high points of your career? Highlight at least 3.

Matuli:  a) Getting a PR lead from USA to materialize – and getting The Leela Goa, on the cover page of Conde Nast Traveler Magazine USA.

4.    b) Having The Pink Poppadom, modern Indian cuisine restaurant from the erstwhile Ista Bangalore hotel featured in the first ever edition of BBC Good Food India Magazine. We got a 4.5/5 rating after a mystery review and this was a PR lead that we managed to nail over other industry stalwarts.

5.    c) Launching the Hyatt Bangalore MG Road (now known as Hyatt Centric MG Road Bangalore) in 2013. Launching a hotel with a brand change under 6 months was a deeply challenging yet a fantastic pre-opening experience.

IWH:  What challenges have you faced as a woman in the industry? How did you deal with them?

Matuli:  Challenges are plenty, though we learn to navigate them better, with experience and some fairy dust along the way!

1.    a) Being heard – As a women, we have to speak-up double, work treble and focus 4 times as much to be heard and seen. That is something that I look forward to changing even more in the years to come. The best way is take your numbers with you, always. Account for your time and projects and ask for extra help when you need it. Delegation is a possibility and I have learnt to embrace it.

2.    b) Career mapping and growth – This one needs honest introspection and careful scrutiny. Opportunities can be passed upon and sometimes, despite working your best, you can go completely unappreciated. Keep talking to your mentors – discuss and plan your career ahead.

3.    c) Network & Support – Networking with business acumen is not a natural forte for women. This is one area where I would like to work on myself more actively. I always advise juniors to have a core support team . It is important.

IWH:  If there was anything that you could change about your life or career what would that be?

Matuli:  I had planned or rather imagined that I would be heading/helming a global position and leading a team by now. That hasn’t happened – I am confident that it will. So yes, a more robust planned growth would have been something that I wish I had the opportunity to redo. I did let go of some good opportunities – which I wish I hadn’t. Having said that, I am looking forward to a great 2019, where I get to explore more bold, beautiful and smashing career moves.

IWH:  What do you think of IWH?

Matuli:  It is a wonderful initiative – long overdue and am so glad that Laxmi Todiwan decided to do it. Ideas are as good as their execution and the IWH is a great platform for Women in Hospitality to connect and share their stories, their struggles, their strength and their success. We all need this dose of inspiration to be the sunshine on days when you need some push to get through it all. I wish this wonderful platform much success and greater participation from everyone.  Let’s make the best and most of this idea!

IWH:  Your advice to the young professionals and students.

Matuli:  Experience is the best resume you will ever have. Be a dreamer for sure and surely be a doer.

IWH:  Anything else you wish to share with our readers?

Matuli:  A career isn’t an option for women anymore. A career is a necessity and I always wish every woman a successful career, irrespective she is self-employed or working for an organization. To all the women in hospitality, we need more women GMs, EXCOMS, HoDs, Directors and Global Leads. Let’s make that happen more often! Good luck and great spirits!

It was great connecting with Matuli and she was gracious enough to answer the many questions we had for her. IWH wishes to see more women like her in the industry and make it even more engaging and empowering; truly a career option for the millennials.

Read full story at: http://www.theiwh.com/the-boss-lady-ms-matuli-madhusmita-swain/

Website: http://www.theiwh.com/

The Italian Connection - Melania Mela

We meet some people, who we connect with instantly. One such person was Ms. Melania Parmisari. I met her at Cornell University where we did two Professional Development Programs. She came across as a great professional and a warm human being. She has been in the cruise industry for over two decades and has travelled the world, knowing a lot about different cultures and human nature as such, I was really impressed with her thoughts and vision. Also her leadership style. I thought she could be an inspiration and a mentor for people specially women who aspire to build a career in the cruise line industry. When I got in touch with Melania for an interview for the IWH, she said, “I am very glad to share my experience and opinions hoping that other women may find some of this useful and be of benefit in their path to continued success”. IWH in conversation with Ms. Parmisari, General Manager, Princess Cruises ship, the lady who believes in ‘Carpe Diem’ and ‘Never Giving Up’!

IWH: Tell us something about you, your growing up years, life through school, college etc.

A small town in Northern Italy, close to the Swiss border in a touristic area where it was normal to deal with people from different countries, in our case mostly from Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands. I have always been fascinated by travelling and thrilled at the opportunity of meeting people, which led me to major in foreign languages and eventually to graduate from the Milan’s college for Interpreters and Translators. As a student I took up several jobs around Europe, to improve my language knowledge whilst earning some money and enjoying meeting people. My first “real” job was as a translator in an office in Milan, but I knew this was not my thing; through some connections I had forged whilst working as a tour guide in Germany I eventually landed my first job on a cruise ship, doing river cruises in Europe, where I definitely fell in love with the hospitality business whilst fulfilling my dream of traveling and meeting people.

IWH: What made you select Hospitality as a career? Was it easy making that decision?

Melania: My first interest was actually tourism in a broader sense, which is however very closely connected to the Hospitality industry as such. I have always been dreaming of traveling and meeting people, and a profession that would allow me to combine both was my ultimate goal. As a student I worked summer jobs as a group leader and tour guide, and had the fortune of forging good relationship with the various business partners which opened my eyes to opportunities as well as eventually the one right door which allowed me to board my very first ship back in 1989. It was a small ship so I worked together with each and every other crew member, soon coming to appreciate how important everyone’s role is in achieving success. I was 21 at the time and I had not planned a career at all, but after the first year when I served as a Social Hostess I was promoted to Assistant Purser and this was the boost I needed, I never looked back!
I should also add that as a kid we used to watch the “Love Boat” series on TV and as a girl I was dreaming of becoming another “Julie”, the Cruise Director. Well… many years later I actually worked on the original Love Boat – the Pacific Princess – it was a dream come true!

IWH: What is your current role?

Melania: I am the Hotel General Manager on one of the ships from Princess Cruises. My role is similar to that of a land based Hotel Director, with a few basic differences: Contracts with partners, suppliers etc, Hiring Process, prices and products are decided at Corporate level shoreside with little to no input from onboard management, though our feedback is always appreciated when dealing with situations. Plus, our guests are with us 24/7 when the ship is at sea and most of the day when in port. We have thus a very close, prolonged contact with them and can develop good, personal relationships, whilst having to cater to all their needs at all times.

IWH: How has your hospitality journey been so far? Pros, cons etc?
Melania: I have always been passionate about what I believe in and what I do, both at a personal and a professional level, and I consider myself a positive person, looking forward rather than looking back. For this reason, I would not change anything that I have done in my life, no regrets, with lots of lessons learnt Inevitably, not everything is perfect, but every challenge is there to be analyzed and overcome, at the end of the day there will always be something positive to appreciate at the end of the day. I believe the hospitality industry offers endless opportunities, but always requires sacrifice. This journey must be a choice, if you are looking for a job just to make a living, this is not the way to go. You will be working when everyone else is off, weekends, holidays… this has never been a problem for me, but I have seen lots of people, both males and females give up because of these schedules. It is not for everyone, and each and every person must honestly look at herself or himself and see what she/he really wants. Passion must be there, and the rewards will come.

IWH: Who has been your mentor or a role model? In what way has that person helped you?

Melania: I have been fortunate to have been appreciated for my work ethics and results and for the hard work I have put into every task. Once on board each of us becomes part of an extended, international family as we spend all our time together, whether on or off duty. The one person I have in particular to thank for the opportunities at Princess Cruises has been the now retired Master Chef, Alfredo Marzi. He taught me so much from shipboard life, they dynamics and – yes, even the politics! when I was totally “green” and had no idea what I would be facing. He accompanies me through the years, from my beginnings as a “Junior Assistant Purser” to where I am today. He has been a mentor and has become a friends, I will always have to thank him for being there in such a positive way, always full of energy.

IWH: What have been the high points of your career? Highlight at least 3.
Melania: Personally, I consider every day a success because there is always something good in each day. Each of my promotions over the years has been for me a highlight, being the first female promoted to the position of F&B Director in the company was most certainly a highlight and an encouragement for others; the same applies to being the first Italian female being promoted to Hotel General Manager in the company (and I am still the only one, so more work to be done here…). Another highlight for me was being the HGM on the Sapphire Princess, introducing our ships and product to the Chinese market a few years back. And on a more personal level, a few years ago I actually met Gavin McLeod, the “Captain Stubing” of the Love Boat. I told him he was the reason I was where I was today!

IWH: What challenges have you faced as a woman in the industry? How did you deal with them?

Melania: Thankfully in today’s world things have developed in a positive way. It sadly remains predominantly a men’s world, but in my 25+ years in the industry I have most definitely seen many huge steps forward, and the younger generations have more open doors than we used to, or at least have more opportunities to open these doors than we had. I never actually experienced a personal hurdle because I am a woman, yet, it was very clear that we had to work much harder to prove ourselves, and women in higher ranks at the time were just a few. I actually felt that my own promotion at a certain time was held back because of being a woman, and also of being of a certain nationality that at the time also had to prove worthy. The best thing about the cruise industry is its being so international, which at times however it can also be its biggest challenge. The main problem was certain higher ranks trying to live by the “we’ve always been doing this” philosophy, but again, thankfully we have moved slowly away from this. I have always been a fighter, and never been shy of expressing my opinions, factually and politely, even to those above me and even when not in agreement. This has gained me their respect and opened more doors. At the very beginning of my seagoing career I was not happy with the hierarchy and with the superior attitude of some senior Officers, who appeared to judge the new hires simply by looking at us and seeing a gender and/or a nationality. I was thinking of resigning, but then I listened to the advice of a colleague who had been with the company for a few years – in the same rank I was at the time – and gave myself and the company another chance. I am happy to be able to tell this story now, over twenty years later, and I like to tell this story to my new hires to encourage them to never give up.

IWH: If there was anything that you could change about your life or career what would that be?

Melania: As I said before, I have no regrets; I believe that you cannot have everything in life and things happen for a reason, I am very grateful for the many things I have experienced and enjoyed, the experiences I have made and the lessons I have learned. I feel very privileged to have traveled the world and met many fantastic people over the years, and to count them as dear friends.

IWH: What do you think of IWH?Melania: I only know little about this platform, but what I have seen looks very encouraging. And I believe that anything that supports and encourages development for women deserves praise and support itself. My best wishes to IWH, keep doing the good work and keep bringing out inspirational stories.

IWH: Your advice to the young professionals and students.
Melania: Carpe Diem, follow your heart, believe in your dreams and do not give up.

Read full story at: http://www.theiwh.com/never-give-up-ms-melania-parmisari/

Website: http://www.theiwh.com/