Effat University & Kerten Hospitality partner to grow human capital, innovation & entrepreneurship across the Kingdom

Creative collaborations and mentorship for young Saudis at The House Hotel Jeddah City Yard

Jeddah, March 2022: Effat University, a private university in Saudi Arabia, and Kerten Hospitality, a responsible lifestyle operator, have joined efforts to support entrepreneurship, innovation, human capital upskilling for young Saudi talents in the Kingdom.

Innovation hackathons that spur creativity in problem-solving capabilities, entrepreneurial knowledge-exchange held jointly with hospitality experts as well as facilitating opportunities for students to launch their own business are just few of the initiatives within this partnership that will be spearheaded by Maria Bou Eid, General Manager of The House Hotel Jeddah City Yard.

Additionally, at The House young Saudi leaders of tomorrow will be motivated and stimulated to enter the hospitality space with expertise acquired during internships and apprenticeships right in the heart of Jeddah’s lifestyle destination. Joining a global team of disruptors, students from non-hospitality backgrounds willing to connect on a global level will have the opportunity to get hands-on experience in the industry and witness first-hand how meaningful collaborations take shape, evolve and deliver impact to the communities around.

Dr. Haifa Jamal Al-Lail, President of Effat University, said: “With the Kingdom’s new focus on tourism, our partnership with Kerten Hospitality will not only open up a wide range of employment opportunities to our graduates, it will also enable them to actively contribute to welcoming international visitors, shaping perceptions and re-shaping stereotypes, contributing to transforming Vision 2030 into reality.”

Maria Bou Eid said: “We’re proud to partner with a mission-driven university that aspires to bring down barriers for entrepreneurial students who think outside-of-the-box, want to establish their own business and are ready to drive innovation further. We are looking forward to bring together our leadership capabilities in the industry and to help nurture talent through our knowledge-share networks, tech-focused initiatives and real-life experiences.”

Effat University, the first private institution of higher education in Saudi Arabia which provides quality education as per global standards is a fully-accredited non-profit educational organization is a pioneer in the innovation and entrepreneurial space. Established in 1999 by Queen Effat Al-Thunayan, wife of late King Faisal. Operating under the umbrella of King Faisal Foundation, the University offers rigorous educational graduate and undergraduate programs conducive to lifelong learning within four colleges.

The House Hotel Jeddah City Yard is an ESG-oriented lifestyle destination connecting international travelers with the local community as part of curated events throughout the year. The focus on the human capital development of Saudi talents and the establishment of meaningful connections within the neighborhood has become the property’s attraction point for employees and visitors alike. For instance, the first Career Day hosted at The House attracted over 1300 applicants willing to join the tourism industry – one of the pillars in Saudi Vision 2030 and a key GDP contributor.

Kerten Hospitality announces strategic COO appointment

Commercially-savvy leader, Wafik Youssef will rollout upcoming openings & grow footprint

DUBAI, UAE, August 2021: Kerten Hospitality, a mixed-use and lifestyle operator, announces the strategic appointment of hospitality industry expert Wafik Youssef as its Chief Operating Officer. Wafik, a seasoned leader with a proven track record of growth with global hotel players, and a career spanning across 3 continents over two decades will further contribute to Kerten Hospitality’s footprint expansion and multiple project openings rolling out 2021 onwards.

Wafik will be responsible for all operational properties and upcoming mixed-use project openings across the Middle East, Egypt, Georgia, Jordan, Kuwait and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia driving the Group’s global vision for growth and expansion. He will be based in the Group’s corporate office in Dubai.

Marloes Knippenberg, CEO of Kerten Hospitality said, ”Wafik brings a breadth of knowledge from global organisations, regional expertise and the knack to nurture teams that deliver success and innovation and further aspire to become the industry disrupters and out-of-the-box thinkers. We are glad to have a commercially-savvy leader who believes that our employee-centric culture can create sustainable global operations, unique guest journeys, and ultimately deliver value to our owners and industry stakeholders.”

Wafik Youssef, COO of Kerten Hospitality said, “The Kerten Hospitality philosophy aligns perfectly with my personal approach: to take pride in evolving and proactively elevating hospitality norms, to lay emphasis on community build rather than just operation of properties - hotels, Residences, Offices, Food and Beverage and everything else that Hospitality touches. This is what has inspired me to join this entrepreneurial team and contribute to the evolution of our industry through the prism of flexibility and lifestyle. The pioneering vision of the Group combined with the efforts of a driven team, I trully believe will help us create home-like guest experiences and further ride and conquer the emergent industry trends.”

During his career, Wafik has played important roles in various hotel groups including Emirates Palace, Kempinski Hotels and Rotana in the Middle East, Africa and Europe. His last role was as a Vice President of Operations for Kempinski Hotels in the Middle East and Africa region where he was managing almost 20 properties after having led the MEA Region operations function for the Group. He is well versed in hotel management, capacity building, pre-opening of hotels, value creation and capacity build across many functions in MENA.