Nanthini Sathasivam

Associate at GROUPDIRECTOROFTALENTRESOURCES & D EVELOPMENT Nikki Beach Hotels & Resorts EMEA Ltd

• My current job since July 2011

Key achievements and scope
 Working on pre-opening of Nikki Beach Resort & Spa, Dubai and Nikki Beach Resort & Spa, Bodrum due to open
in 2016
 Opened Nikki Beach Resort & Spa, Porto Heli - Greece on 28 July 2014
 Closed Nikki Beach Resort & Spa, The Pearl Qatar pre-opening operations and handled labour related matters
in May/ June 2013 on behalf of Company. Project did not materialise.
 Initiated and steered the Talent Casting- first of its kind recruitment exercise in the Middle East that focuses
attitude & personality of talents and trains for skills. Gained a lot of press coverage for this event.
 Conceptualised the

HUMANRESOURCESMANAGER at Shangri-La Hotel

• United Arab Emirates
• June 2004 to December 2005

INTERNALAUDITOFFICER at Shangri-La International Hotel Management Limited

• Hong Kong
• October 2002 to May 2004

 Human Resources Team at by Shangri-La International Hotel Management Ltd

• Hong Kong
• January 2003 to January 2004

amongst 46 other properties in the group.
 My key achievements aside the day to day management of Human Resources Manager operations within a
unionised environment were:
 Conducted in-house training and certified as Master Trainer for the in-house Shang Care1 to IV Training
Program.
 Involved in preparation and submission of materials for private, public and corporate awards
 Involved in the renovation of the Human Resources Office (project worth RM55, 000) and saw the project
from conception to completion.
Reason for leaving : Promotion to Director of Human Resources within Group

SENIORASSOCIATE at Arthur Andersen & Co. and Ernst & Young

• January 1996 to June 2002

There were no changes in my role within this duration.
Reason for leaving : International exposure with a mainstream hotel company and specialisation in the hospitality
industry..

Senior Corporate at CLUSTERDIRECTOROFHUMANRESOURCES – L EISURE/HRSYSTEMS & A NALYSIS Emaar Hospitality Group LLC

• to

and had the opportunity to work with 9 Business
Leaders (General Managers/ Senior Operations Managers and 2 Corporate Directors) simultaneously managing
the Human Resources (HR) function for 7 types of businesses in 13 locations within Dubai.
10Jul11
 Spearheaded operations, set standards and aligned HR practices across these businesses which included
implementations of new HR Solutions, imparting knowledge with the executive teams of each property for better
understanding of the labour laws and defined the Learning & Development function.
 Managed a team of 17 HR Executives with 12 Nationalities for HR Operations and remotely worked with
Corporate Accommodation and Government Relations teams to ensure the Human Resources function in each
of these businesses is managed from conception to completion here in the Middle East. Internally developed
employees, i.e. at least 2 to 3 HR team promotions each year
 Developed a one size fits one training program for leaders known as “Dealing with Dr. Dread” with the L&D
Manager and delivered it to leaders. This contributed to reducing employee turnover across the business by 11%
in 1 single year and gained popularity with another chain of hotels within the Group (Address Hotels.)
 Conceptualised design and branding of the Leisure Division and completed pre-opening of 2 signature
restaurants, Downtown Deli and Madeline
 Brought savings to the businesses by scrutinizing and introducing timely consumption of public holidays and
leave balances that eventually promoted work life balance
 Involved in management restructuring exercise during the Global Crisis in 2008/ 2009 and managed layoffs
(difficult conversations) and salary reductions.
 Rebranded The Montgomerie Dubai to The Address Montgomerie Dubai
 Completed task force for The Address Dubai Mall for 4.5 months in the absence of a Director of HR whilst
continuing to manage the Leisure & Lifestyle Dining portfolio
 Organised the Emaar Hospitality Group’s very first sports meet bringing together over 1500 employees under one
roof over 3 days. This had over 50% participation out of approximately 2, 800 associates.
 Supported Emiratisation by hiring and developing UAE Nationals on a one size fits one approach
 Introduced more than 100 best practices over the period of 2 years with the Company.
 Started on 2 November 2008 as Director of Human Resources - Leisure and Lifestyle Division and promoted to
title above to look after systems for the Hospitality Group aside the Leisure portfolio.
Reason for leaving : Career advancement
01Jan08to31Oct08
DIRECTOROFHUMANRESOURCES
Shangri-La Hotel Doha
 Conceptualised and established the outlook, design, tools & equipment, framework, etc for employee facilities,
such as employee dining facility, computer laboratory, split shift rest room, state of the art training facility in the
heart of the hotel, employee accommodation and logistics, employee insurance, etc.
 Formalised and aligned HR processes and standards in accordance to Company standards.
 Determined time lines of recruitment and managed expectations of new talents due to delay in project.
 Contributed towards selection of uniform designs, ornaments, materials according to concepts of the
restaurants and bars as well as hotel
 Completed Salary and benefits benchmarking exercise with top 5 competitors in the city. This was a much
sought after document in the city.
Reason for leaving : Operational preparation for pre-opening completed pending constructional delayed
indefinitely
01Jan06to31Dec07
DIRECTOROFHUMANRESOURCES
Traders Hotel Penang, by Shangri-La
 Assumed co-responsibility in putting together the Global HR Meeting for 2007 in Shangri-La Hotel Kuala Lumpur
with Area Director of HR for 53 hotels.
 Implemented and followed up on Hotel Succession Plan
 Introduced an Interactive CD to relive memories of 2006 at Traders Hotel Penang. First interactive cd based
yearbook in the Group
 Introduced 11 HR Related Best Practices and still ongoing.
 Assisted as re-opening task force for the Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa opening
 Successfully cascaded a coaching program - Interaction Skills for Success with all top to middle level
Managers and Hotel Departmental Trainers again bringing down Employee Turnover by 47% in one year.
 My responsibilities as the Director of Human Resources are the same as that executed as Human Resources

Manager at Shangri-La Hotel

• United Arab Emirates
• to

very much on idea conception and implementation,
policy writing for HR, extensive dealing in Union Matters and extensive decision making.
 Set up the Trainer’s Club for the Hotel with 11 high potential trainers successfully certified in Hotel Programs
 Wrote a One Stop Shop - Employee Handbook (first in the company) for employees to use as a guide
throughout their tenure with the company.
Reason for leaving : Pre-opening opportunity within Group

General Manager at Coverage of 16 Hotels and Resorts

• Malaysia
• to

Taipei and China. Sizes of Hotels
and Resorts range from 300 guest rooms and an 18-hole championship golf course to 700 guest rooms and
suites.
 Lead 7 out of the 16 assignments. This involves coordinating the audit process, making pre-audit presentation,
developing audit strategy with preliminary risk assessment, keeping

Internal Audit at Arthur Andersen & Co.

• Malaysia
• to

Involved in designing controls, evaluating and recommending improvements to existing processes in
companies from various industries, such as transportation, manufacturing, oil palm plantation, property
development and management of commercial properties and car park operations.
 Pioneered a team to set up Internal Audit Division in Johor Bahru Branch. Tasks involved designing forms and
schedules for reporting to Management, setting up a filing system, etc.
 Reviewed business processes and introduced change for improved control environment. Processes reviewed
include, maintenance, purchasing, credit management and collection, related party transactions, human
resource management, manpower planning, accounts receivable, remittance processing, estate
management and mill operations, inventory management, sale of scrap and waste products.
 Involved in review of Statement of Internal Controls for listed companies and Corporate Governance Gap
Analysis.
External Audit and Other services
 Exercised judgement to form an opinion on fairness of financial position and results of operations presented
by financial and non-financial organisations.
 Designed and implemented methodologies for examining, verifying, evaluating and reporting compliance
with internally or externally generated policies, standards, legislation or other requirements.
 Accounting services, advisory, teaching, due diligence, monitoring accountant, internal audit, or related work
not otherwise specified which calls for exercising professional knowledge, judgement and skill.
 Participated in developing or evaluating benchmarks for auditing processes and outcomes.
 Selected for a task force and moved to the main city, Kuala Lumpur for a period of 6 months to lead 2 of the
biggest audit projects in the company; Talam Corporation (property developer) and Petronas (oil and gas).
 Managed audit work and completed consolidation for reporting purposes for various industry portfolios for
Group of Companies. Industries dealt with are:
 Hotels and Resorts, Golf Courses, Property Development, Construction and Investment Holdings;
 Manufacturing of glass products, electronic components, plastic bottles;
 Quarry and Extraction; Oil & Gas
 Homestead cum Estate Development and Fruit Plantation, Oil Palm Plantation and Mill Operations; and
 Securities companies, and other sectors to complement the above.
 Standardised and implemented Business Audit Methodology in the Johor Bahru Branch Office for consistencies
in reporting to higher management. This involved leading audit seniors through brainstorming sessions and
compiling information. Conducted training for staff at branch office.
 Involved in mentoring a designated set of recruits within the organisation by constantly monitoring and
supervising these individuals on areas such as work behaviour, accountability, responsibilities, etc
Reason for leaving : Forced merger with Ernst & Young resulting from closure of Andersen following the bankruptcy
of Enron Corporation.

CAREERJOURNEY at ARTHUR ANDERSEN & CO. SHANGRI-LA HOTELS & RESORTS EMAAR HOSPITALITY GROUP NIKKI BEACH HOTELS & RESORTS

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