My whole career has been in IT. I didn’t start in hospitality, as is true of many of us in technology, I moved into it because I wanted to work in another country and gain experience in Europe. That is the beauty of our industry; it can give you the chance to work in a variety of departments and to grow and learn.   

I joined Accor in 2009 in Brasil to work on projects directly with hotels such migration of the PMS (property management systems) and POS (point of sales). I had many roles since then, from leading an Application Team to participating and running the new version of Backoffice Application. I had the opportunity to move to the new carved-out company as Head of IT and then moved back to Accor in a new role in Europe. Accor gives me the opportunity to never stop searching for new challenges and the certainty that will never be boring.

It is easy to get recognised in hospitality; it is very rewarding because we work for people and with people. At Accor we care very much about our relationships and interactions with clients, guests, owners and colleagues. We have chances to suggest ideas and put them into practice, and that is acknowledged in many ways, from a meaningful thank you from colleagues to more formal acknowledgements, both inside and outside the organisation.   

To someone newly in the sector, I would say this is the most difficult time we have ever come through and that creates a lot of challenges and pressures. However, it will pass; it will create new ways of working and recognising our weakness and strengths will make us all better people.  

And to someone looking for work, the most important thing is not what you know or what you have been trained for, but whatever you are looking for: do it with love and with your heart, and that will make you successful. Hospitality gives opportunities to everyone in all departments and with a strong emphasis on a human approach, you can find a purpose and produce tangible results.