UAE spa leaders support global spa mentorship scheme

The Global Mentorship Pilot Programme has kicked off with its first wave of spa managers receiving one-to-one guidance from seasoned spa directors. There are 17 mentorship pairings in this first round of the scheme, which was developed by Jean-Guy de Gabriac, chief executive of Tip Touch International spa training and consultancy company, along with Deborah Smith, principal of wellness consultants Smith Club & Spa Specialists. In our region mentors include Christian Kiefer, general manager at Cedar Bridge, Francisca Atunes, area director, Six Senses, Middle East & Africa, and Neil Hewerdine, vice president spa services, at ShuiQi, Atlantis The Palm. Mentees will work with their mentors for three months, talking twice a month by phone or video conference to tackle challenges boost their skills in areas such as marketing, finance, leadership and strategic business planning. “This is one way to reduce the learning curve for these junior spa managers who show great potential yet need and want sage guidance to master the profession,” said de Gabriac.