Hospitality operations executive with more than 15 years experience in both luxury and lifestyle hotel operations in the Indian Ocean, Middle East, Europe, Asia and the United States.
Experience on both corporate and stand alone level. Personal talents for business development; strategic planning; sales, marketing and PR; design & concept creation. Proven track record of creating world class lifestyle concepts, from unique restaurants & nightlife venues to urban resorts and destination hotels.
Global experience as an Investor, Founder, Partner, Managing Director and Operator in multiple segments from Health & Beauty, CPG, F&B, Retail Fashion, Fitness and Entertainment.
Starting his career on the West Coast of Canada in the entertainment sector as a partner in the leading music talent booking and concert organizer he has toured with the likes of Akon, Wyclef, Sean Paul, 50 Cent, Lady Gaga and Justin Beiber to name a few. Expanding the office into the UAE he was able to book the likes of Axwell, 50 Cent and Avicii as the first to come to the region. Maintaining global relationships throughout his career, allowed him to become and investor and partner in various businesses in KSA, UAE and Europe within the Health & Beauty, Fitness, CPG distribution and F&B Advisory.
The Global relationships he has built throughout his career has always been at the forefront of truly being a connector who is relationship focused on his approach to life, to people, and to business. His way of thinking and acting gets results with ease because of credibility, trust and win-win approach with his network.
Expertise:- Interior Design, Branding, Lifestyle
Establishing his firm back in 2004, Bishop Design by Paul Bishop is now an international multi award - winning design house with 30+ personnel and projects which span United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, USA, The Bahamas and further countries across the globe.
Paul Bishop has become a household name in the industry with projects including Massimo Bottura’s renowned restaurant Torno Subito to infinite entertainment destination Wavehouse, and iconic hotel destinations including SLS Hotels & Residences. Along with his team, the Bishop Design brand continues to make a lasting impression on society through impeccable design.
2021 is witness to Bishop Design's expansion to global markets with dedicated presences, including Miami. Spearheaded by Paul, this move comes as an exciting chapter for the company as they continue to diversify their services across a larger geographical footprint - introducing unique consumer experiences across the world.
https://wearebishopdesign.com/
Expertise:- Concept Creation, Design, Master Planning, Branding
Jean Michel Offe has been the Executive President of Development & Innovation for Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts. He has been in the Hospitality Industry for over 30 years and has been posted in Europe, Middle East, North America and Asia.
He started his career as a Chef and as such held several executive positions in Canada, United Arab Emirates, Sultana of Oman, Indonesia and became successively Executive Assistant Manager in Singapore and Hotel Manager in Bangkok before joining Hong Kong Shangri-La Corporate Office in 2000 as Group Corporate Food and Beverage Director.
During his 11 years as Group Corporate Food & Beverage Director, he was instrumental in the rejuvenation of the F&B vision and the leader in implementing new F&B concepts for over 300 restaurants for the Group, building the reputation of Shangri-La as a leading group in the F&B industry.
He left Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts from 2011 to 2013 to be Vice President for Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and rejoined Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts as Executive Vice President Development & Innovation.
In the last 3 years of his career with Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts he was involved in the acquisition of management contracts for the Group, opening over 40 Shangri-La owned asset hotels and developing products of the future with a team of Shangri-La architects and designers from Corporate office in Hong Kong.
His latest achievement is the Hotel JEN in Beijing: a 600 rooms hotel designed for the millennial generation in China opening in March 2017. The hotel Jen new business philosophy was conceptualized and designed with Marcos Cain Founder of Stickman Design firm based in Dubai.
Jean Michel has negotiated and develop the Shangri-la Hotel Jeddah due to open early 2022.
He was until recently an F&B Advisor to West Kowloon Cultural District for M+ Museum which has opened in November 2021.
https://www.meraki-hospitality.com/
Expertise:- Mixology, Concept Creation, Branding, Training, Lifestyle
Parisian born and raised, he first began bartending in Paris in 2005 where he was trained in the art of classic cocktails. In 2007, he moved to Australia and began work in Melbourne, where he spent a year crafting libation.
Nico de Soto then returned to Paris, working in China Club and became bar manager at Mama Shelter before joining Paris’s most respected cocktail bars, the Experimental Cocktail Club and Curio Parlor.
In 2010 Nico joined the opening teams at Dram and PKNY (former Painkiller) in New York and then became the head mixologist of the Experimental Group, opening back to back the very successful Experimental Cocktail Club in London and New York, respectively nominated 3rd best bar in Europe 2012 at Cocktail Spirits Awards and top 4 finalists World’s Best New Bar in 2013 at Tales of Cocktails and 26th best cocktail bar in the world by Drinks International.
In 2013, Nico worked at the awarded 69 Colebrooke Row and Happiness Forgets in London, names respectively Best Bar in the World at Tales of the Cocktails and 6th Best Bar in the World by Drinks International 2013.
In 2015, he opened his first cocktail bar Mace in East Village in New York ranked 28th best bar in the World at Drinks International World’s Top 50 Best Bars, for the fourth year in a row.
In 2016, he opened in Paris Danico, in the heart of the Italian trattoria Daroco, with his two restaurateur friends Julien Ross and Alexandre Giesbert. In 2018, he opened Kaido in the Design District of Miami with James Beard’s awards multi-nominated chef Brad Kilgore, a Japanese influenced cocktail lounge.
His approach of drinks is inspired by travels and cuisine, always trying to get new flavors, combinations and techniques. He uses a lot of modern techniques, like sous-vide to achieve the best flavors, centrifuge to clarify juices or rotovap to make his own distillates.
https://nicodesoto.com/
Expertise:- Music Direction, Music Creation, Entertainment, Talent Acquisition & Management
Mark Doyle is the main man behind Fierce Angel Records. The compiler of the CDs, A&R for the record label and world renown, headline DJ at the events across the world.
The numbers make staggering reading; the creator of 3 best-selling dance brands (Hed Kandi, Stereo Sushi & Fierce Angel), a DJ for over 25 years, a radio presenter for over 15 years, compiler of over 80+ best-selling albums resulting in over 3 million sales plus a phenomenal ear for a hit record with 3 top 10 UK chart records and another 10 top ten club chart hits under his belt.
Expertise:- Management, Operations, Concept Creation, Communication & Branding
Theodore Charoy is a serial entrepreneur, an experienced project manager and has worked for 15 years in both the hospitality and restaurant industries.
After earning a bachelor's degree at Les Roches Hotel Management School in Switzerland, Theodore takes over two trendy restaurants in New York at the age of 24 and manages over 100 employees over two locations. He begins his first journey as an entrepreneur in 2014 in London, where he opens two French bakeries before joining COYA restaurant group for five years. In his time at COYA, he was in charge of, subsequently, the Member's club in London, the restaurant in Monaco, and the opening of the Paris site as General Manager.
Currently, he owns a festive restaurant group in Paris and a very avant-garde vegan fast-food chain.
His expertise lies in the recruitment of talented individuals, the training of teams, the development of brands, as well as the growth and improvement of processes through the use of technology. With his emotional intelligence, he is an asset to delivering excellent top- and bottom-line results. Theodore is our executive consultant for lifestyle restaurant and destination hospitality concepts
Expertise:- Culinary Engineering, Styling, Concept Creation
Marcel Ravin is one of the most talented chefs of his generation. With a Michelin star and an innovative style, he passionately directs the Blue Bay’s kitchens. There is a bit of his native Martinique, a good deal of creativity and an infinite love of taste and pleasure in his dishes. An interview with 6 questions asked on the spot, to get to know him better…
Executive chef of the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel in Monaco for over 15 years, Marcel also multiplies pop-ups, collaborations and new projects. He is currently directly managing over 8 different kitchens in different parts of the world.
https://www.marcelravin.com/
Expertise:- Fashion, Design, Art
Giya Yakova majored in Art & Photography. She also has a degree in Psychology and a Master in Journalism from Sofia’s University. She has had a lot experience in modeling and events management. She was lucky to be in London during the good years and was running the door of DISTRIKT, one of the city’s prominent club.
She rubbed shoulders with Rihanna, Beyonce, JayZ, Jason Statham, Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, Cardi B and many more. She also worked in Cannes in Public Relations at the Palais des Festivals’ clubbing power house Gotha.
In the last years, she has had extensive exposure in fashion via her label Giya Fashion. Specialized in beach wear and resort fashion, she also developed a couture collection that allowed her to win the Mauritius Best Designer award in 2017. She has put together some of the Indian Ocean’s nicest fashion shows over her time there, and notably during the 2018 Moet & Chandon legendary party in collaboration with Nikki Beach’s very own celebrity performer Jimmy Sax.
With her signature razor sharp cheek bones, her big green eyes and her unique facial features, photographers and cameramen recommended to Giya to start spending time in front of the camera. She is slowly becoming a lifestyle and fashion influencer. Giya is the squad’s fashion & design specialist.
Expertise:- Events, Festivals, Concerts, Operations
Mohammed Abdul Hay holding a degree in Hospitality Management and lived most of his life in the UAE. He is an experienced project manager focusing on hospitality, F&B, governmental owned events, International live events, megaevents, F1 and sporting events aimed at GCC and Levant with proven presentation and closing abilities, introducing traditional and emerging products and services. Mohammed serves as liaison to strategically identify methods and entities to enable successful project completion such as EXPO2020 Dubai, FIFA CWC, concerts which included Rolling Stones, Cold Play, Madonna and the list goes on. He has an experience of almost 16 years and demonstrates expertise in new business development and customer relations within his field. Lately, he was part of the Formula 1 Jeddah grand prix planning and delivery team for all temporary and modular structures such as VIP hospitality areas, Royal Suites, grand stands, pits and teams’ buildings. Mohammed is currently operating around the UAE and Levant region.
Expertise:- Events Curation & IP, Sponsorship, Artist Management & Booking, Event Master Planning
Lloyd Cornwall is a career strategic sales & marketing professional with over 20 years experience, most of which were spent running his own successful businesses within the entertainment industry. Lloyd’s independent success is underpinned by a strong record of achievement within blue-chip environments in private sector organisations.
Lloyd architects and implements high value-add sponsorship and marketing programmes, often including international, experiential and cultural dimensions, to drive sales and to achieve corporate objectives. Utilising his considerable background in sales and marketing, and his consultancy experiences at director and senior management levels, he has built a solid reputation for high impact and result driven initiatives, strong leadership and the ability to deliver exciting and innovative results for a vast array of consumer platforms.
His collaborative, results-focused and hands on style enables him to achieve revenue goals using innovation and focussed hard work. He has worked successfully with executives and senior management of medium to large organisations. Lloyd is a strong motivator and works equally well with large or small teams. He has a proven track record of delivering working outcomes on time and within budget, and creating and implementing brand communication strategies that drive sales and revenue targets.
Lloyd’s early career followed a path through the blue chip UK organisations which were recognised at the time to represent the pinnacle of sales training and technique. These excellent foundations, along with a talent for creating opportunity in businesses which are of personal interest, have created a career that has shown exceptional business acumen and personal success.
Expertise:- Events Curation & IP, Sponsorship, Artist Management & Booking, Event Master Planning, Event Finance Management
Tom Pearson-Adams is from the UK and a music industry background where he worked within international sales, licensing and distribution. During the six years he was at Snapper Music PLC he was responsible for the setting up of numerous global distribution platforms for their various imprints.
Following Snapper Tom’s first project was the licensing of the ‘Ministry Of Sound’ brand and their flagship title 'The Annual' to produce the first Ministry Of Sound DVD - positioning the finished product with Warners, the DVD went on to be the best selling dance line in category of 2002. On the back of that release he produced the 13X0'30'' series 'Mix Of Nations' for SKY 1. The show encompassed a behind the scenes look at the global dance music scene from as far a field as Tokyo, Chicago, Sydney, Germany, Miami, and Holland, with interviews and coverage from the biggest names at the biggest events in the world.
Tom then went on to set up 'Seasoned Productions’, a music based production company whose focus was on moving between the broadcasters and record companies positioning out side the main stream music on television. Heavy Metal and EDM was televised on both terrestrial and Sky (ITV, Channel 4, Sky 1, VH1, MTV) by Seasoned with the majority of the content being further exploited and positioned through the DVD format.
Since arriving in South Africa in 2007 Tom has conceptualized and set up various Cape Town based businesses including The Vaudeville Supper Club and The Fez nightclub.
SN - I have been in the hospitality industry since 1997, some 24 years ago. Following my graduation from the hotel management school of Lausanne, Switzerland, I did join some of the world’s most famous hotel groups and properties. From the Ritz-Carlton Group, to the Shangri-La Group and the Societe des Bains de Mer of Monte-Carlo, I have been fortunate to work in some of the world’s most iconic buildings, with some of the industry’s very best captains and colleagues.
Vibe Squad is the natural progression of my adventure. When you are very creative and you have set-up successful concepts year after year, country after country, in all the companies that you have been a part of, you start receiving offers to do the same but on an individual capacity, for independent owners. This is how Vibe Squad was born. The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC is arguably one of the most prestigious private member club in the world) wanted to recruit a lead consultant that could help them drive successfully the conceptual creation phase, the pre-opening phase, and the launch phase of their new 1.2 bn USD project, the Happy Valley New Clubhouse.
Looking back after a year and a half with the club, and since the new clubhouse opened, you now need in excess of 2 weeks on the waiting list to get a table on the 8TH, the top floor of the clubhouse that we helped conceptualize. When I look back I am proud and excited to see that our job was completed well. We reached our common goal, creating the pinnacle experience within the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
SN - I have many goals. Some of them personal, some of them professional, some of them that have to do with legacy. As an individual, I want to pride myself as being able to spend the right amount of time with my baby girls, and my beautiful wife. I want to make sure that I prioritize my family life properly. During my hospitality days, 12-15 hour days were the norm. Today, I have the luxury to be able to manage my schedule and I must say that I am quite efficient. As a professional, I want to make sure that all my projects are successful: from a product perspective (I want to make sure that what is being produced is on par with the world’s best in each and every respective category), from an entertainment and vibe perspective (we are notorious for creating atmospheres -the Vibe in Vibe Squad - that do make our guests feel good, and ultimately spend more time and drive the average spend higher than our competitors), and last but not least from a bottom line perspective (how do we ensure that the investors do get their committed returns and how do we scientifically engineer strategies to guarantee these returns). Finally, I guess that all this leads to legacy, to leaving a trace, a heritage, a history of success. In the 15+ countries and capital cities where I have worked in, people will always have special lasting memories of my time with them. The drive, the energy, the constant push for perfection, the humor in the middle of the battle, the comradery, the human touch and the ability to listen to everyone from the ground up. That is what I wish my legacy to be.
SN - We do provide an integrated 360 approach to hospitality management with a clear focus and specialization on pre-opening and F&B launches.
I have personally been involved in over 80 different F&B outlet launches, with some of the world’s foremost designers, from Pierre Yves Rochon, to Philippe Starck, with Adam Tihany, with Super Potato, with Zaha Hadid (etc…), with some of the culinary universe’s most influential chefs, and in some of the very best locations… Experience and track record of success are our biggest strengths right now. Vibe Squad develops success stories, one victory at a time.
SN - I have seldom said no to any new challenge in my career. I am where I am today because I have embraced each and every challenge that presented itself to me. From my first job in the US Virgin Islands with Ritz Carlton when our hotel was wiped out by a hurricane, to San Francisco and my award of “Best restaurant in Ritz Carlton Hotel Company” won in the very last month of the year (December 1999) as we were tied with the flagship Atlanta Buckhead Ritz Carlton until November. In January 2000 we received the results and RCSF’s The Terrace was elected by the company’s guests through the JD Powers Survey as the best restaurant in the Ritz Carlton Company and it was my first job as Restaurant Manager. I have personally and through Vibe Squad garnered over 80 ‘best in class’ awards over the years from leading publications, TV channels and customer surveys.
SN - We started the company (its first iteration) in 2007 in view of the Beijing Olympics. The name back then was Alchemy. Within 24 months, Alchemy was managing in between Beijing and Shanghai 7 master accounts and achieved over 30,000 bottles of champagne in sales yearly.
Then I did close Alchemy for some 10 years. And in 2019, we had the opportunity to give another shot at launching a Hospitality & F&B lifestyle company that could create, pre-open, launch and market concepts, or bring international brands to any specific region. Vibe Squad was born.
SN - There have been many, and there will be many more. Someone said that growing up was understanding that life was often about ‘losing’. And that while all success in business and in your personal life must be the end of mind, there is rarely any success that manifests itself without a fair amount of failure. I have had so many challenges to jump through over the years…. In the end, it is about trust. This business is about entities (owners, funds) often investing a lot of money in projects and in an industry that they usually don’t understand. Often times, investors think that because they like to dine in restaurants or stay in hotels, they understand our business.
Hospitality now more than ever is about an emotional connection with your guests, your staff, to ensure that your restaurants and hotels are full, and that your staff is happy. Then the financial success comes, and the investors start seeing returns. The challenge since 2008-9 and now with the pandemic, is that a lot of owners-investors do not value gut and risk taking anymore. They often prefer to lose money ‘safely’ rather than make money based on an aggressive game plan. There is a whole range of hoteliers here in the UAE or elsewhere internationally who are embracing this job as a 9-5 job, as a banker would, as a no frill no thrill environment.
This industry is based over and above on personal connections with your clients, with your customers, with your fans. Because if you are to succeed, you need to convert your guests into loyal and repeat guests. You must create an engagement with your brand. You must face this challenge head on. You can only do that from the center of your hotel lobby, your restaurant, greeting and engaging, creating 1OAK (one of a kind) experiences for your guests to further make you the ‘first choice’, to make sure that you are creating a community around your venue. Community is not a social media tool. It is the reality of what you MUST create as a hotelier and a hospitality specialist. I have met a lot of GM’s, VP’s and CEO’s who are great at juggling spreadsheets and making presentations during owner’s reviews, but fail to understand their basic role as drivers and creators of communities.
SN - RELENTLESS. I never give up. I am like a pitbull. If I know that there is a better solution, or a better way, I will not let go. It does not matter who I am facing, I will always speak the truth, share what my years of experience have taught me. We may not agree in the end, but I will never hold back. That translates at work into saying the same thing, day after day, 100 days in a row if that is required. Most managers give up after a few times. They take for granted the fact that staff will not learn, will not change, will not evolve. I don’t. Repeating is the art of learning.
SN - I do believe that my ‘gut’ approach and ‘fearless’ understanding of situations has proven ‘on point’ most times. In the past centuries, our forefathers needed to reach instinctively because in the wild or during tough times, as society was less ‘regulated’, one had to make decisions ‘on the spot’. No emails, no memo, no feasibility study… The best historical leaders just had gut feel, and the inner confidence that the decision of what to do was always within their reach.
I feel that nowadays, managers (especially in hospitality) look to survive, not to make an impact. People rather not make decision than to take risks. There are so many hotels, so many restaurants, and barely any manage to make an impact. Interior design makes an impact… architects make an impact… but what about Hoteliers? Restaurateurs? I am an instinctive, emotional, passionate hotelier / restaurateur and overall hospitality specialist. My job is to seduce my guests through creative and innovative strategies. Financial success comes after you have made yourself irresistible to your community. I create a style, a way of thinking, a way of behaving with guests, that allow my colleagues and team mates to be themselves, to behave freely while of course politely and with certain boundaries. But I value attitude over skills. And personality over anything else. I want to feel at home and welcome for me to come back. It is not about the SOP, it is about the science of optimizing our colleagues’ human skills and soft touches. Then comes financial success.
SN - Each and every project. One of our latest project was the Opus Tower by Omniyat, designed by Zaha Hadid. Our brief was to create excitement, magic, as the existing shell was not sufficiently attractive in terms of F&B, such a key component of Dubai’s skyline. Great hotels with great F&B are a minimum.
In July 2020, we were requested to conceptualize a whole new twist on the F&B offering of the Opus by Omniyat in Dubai, the gorgeous tower designed by Zaha Hadid. Together with close friend Paul Bishop and his team, we conceptualized in less than 3 weeks the award winning DESEO concept.
From the ID to the actual opening, we managed to deliver a turnkey project in less than 4 months. The venue opened and made quite a “bang” on the local scene, culiminating on our SPACE COWBOY New Year’s Eve celebration with Dean and Dan, the owners of D-SQUARED #wearevibesquad
Awards 2020-21 received by DESEO
Cosmopolitan Magazine Middle East
Best Friday Brunch, Dubai 2021 - DESEO @ OPUS by ZAHA HADID – ME Hotel Dubai
OPAL AWARDS 2020
Property Development - Redevelopment & Renovation: DESEO @ OPUS by ZAHA HADID – ME Hotel Dubai
LIV HOSPITALITY 2021
Interior Design – Renovation: DESEO @ OPUS by ZAHA HADID – ME Hotel Dubai
MUSE 2021
Interior Design – Restaurants and bars: DESEO @ OPUS by ZAHA HADID – ME Hotel Dubai (PLATINUM winner)
Commercial Interior Design Awards 2021
Interior Design of the Year: Outdoor - DESEO @ OPUS by ZAHA HADID – ME Hotel Dubai
IDENTITY 2021
Outdoor Space of the Year: DESEO @ OPUS by ZAHA HADID
SN - There are 3 main strategies in what we differ from our comp set.
we do believe in surrounding ourselves with colleagues and partners who are better than us. I always reach out to other specialists in my field to help me better support our various client’s projects. We have a team of over 12 different ‘experts’ in the fields of interior design, architecture, branding, menu design, concept creation, service management, culinary management, menu design, financial optimization….
we do believe in a customer centric approach. The CEJ (Customer Experience Journey) is our leitmotiv. Touch points, subliminal or first degree, are a key part of what we do. We have implemented that process in Tulum (we opened BARDO in Tulum 2 years ago) and are leading booking.com review scores and tripadvisor.com
we do have a large international network built over the years and the continents. We today are involved with projects in Hong Kong, Kiev, London, Dubai, Riyadh, Jeddah…. Through this network, we do have access to almost each and every brands and brand owners worldwide.
SN - Over and above everything, there is always an enthusiasm about my approach to life. No matter when the ‘going gets tough’ I always tend to be a ‘glass half full’ kind of manager. I am quite fearless in my approach and that has always proven successful. I have countless examples when people have warned me or cautiously advised me that things ‘can not be done’. I always followed my gut feel and I have mostly been successful (almost always).
SN - We do believe in a major strategic development in KSA over the rest of the world. We are part of some of the leading developments and projects in KSA and we do see our role regionally as being focused on KSA. The country shows endless potential, and most importantly, incredible creativity towards meeting their goals.
SN - Enthusiasm. Creativity. Positivity. Success. Access. We are an integrated solution with a track record of creating hospitality success stories on 4 different continents, a front and back approach from creating to asset managing these successes that allow us to optimize in real time the bottom line. We also can get in touch with pretty much anyone in the industry within one (or two) phone calls.
SN - We believe in innovation and turnkey solutions where we are a one stop shop interface for our clients. This is old school. This is about service. We now integrate so many IP / AI driven solutions. We are morphing into a high tech integrated solution interface.
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