Brands to riches: Anthony Liddiard CEO RMAL Hospitality 29/10/09 12:37 PM

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BRANDS TO RICHES April 2008 Edition of LEADER October 2008 Edition of LEADER In just two years, RMAL Hospitality March 2009 Edition of LEADER has managed to lure a fistful of world-class brands to the Middle East. It’s only the beginning, CEO Anthony Liddiard tells Leader. Link What else, apart from being bywords for quality, do wagamama, Fairmont, Trader Vic’s, Trader Vic’s Sign up for Profile LEADER Mai Tai Lounge, Frankie’s Italian Bar and Grill, and Marco Pierre White’s Steakhouse & Grill have in Leader common? In the UAE, they’re all part of Abu Dhabi- Journal based RMAL Hospitality’s growing portfolio of franchised restaurants and luxury hotels. Back Issues

Name: Las Vegas grand dames MGM Grand and Bellagio will soon follow suit. ‘We’ve signed the contracts,’ E-Mail Address: says Anthony Liddiard, the 30-year hospitality veteran hand-picked by the giant Al Fahim Group to run RMAL Hospitality, their dedicated hotel and restaurant development business launched in 2007. ‘We were in Las Vegas and saw how these brands had the ‘wow factor’ that Sign Up! we wanted to bring to the region. When you’re competing against other highly regarded operators and brands, you have to stand out.’ Unsubscribe http://www.profile-recruitment.com/nov09/anthony-liddiard.asp Page 1 of 3 Brands to riches: Anthony Liddiard CEO RMAL Hospitality 29/10/09 12:37 PM

Unsubscribe Expanding the Al Fahim empire

Fifty-one years ago, visionary entrepreneur Abdul Jalil Al Fahim founded The Al Fahim Group, now a conglomerate (‘we are the brands we represent’) spanning automotives, property, industry, hospitality and travel. Its mission, echoing the late founder’s philosophy, is ‘to deliver superior services with a passion to exceed all expectations.’

Hotel owners with a deep passion for the hospitality industry, the forward-looking Al Fahims decided to expand their existing business portfolio to include the development of hospitality, asset management and real estate products They approached British-born Liddiard, who at the time was Director of Operations for UAE and Qatar for InterContinental Hotels Group and the General Manager of Crowne Plaza , an Al Fahim-owned hotel.

IHG alumi

Having already developed a trusting professional relationship with the owners, Liddiard was the obvious choice to take the Al Fahims’ beloved hotel business to the next level. Profile Sailing Cup 2010 Tue 7th and Wed 8th ‘I’d been looking after twelve InterContinental properties for IHG when the Al Fahims came September to me and said why didn’t we start up our own hospitality company? That was a tremendous opportunity,’ says Liddiard, who before being head-hunted by InterContinental earned his stripes at Hilton International and later working for South African hotel magnate Sol Kerzner.

"We are a young company that can afford to attract high-calibre people."

Once he’d taken the job, Liddiard immediately set out to choose his management team from among the professionals he could trust to help deliver the company’s demanding growth plans.

‘High professional skills and good local knowledge were essential, and every one of my team fulfils these requirements,’ says Liddiard. ‘We are a young company that can afford to attract high-calibre people.’

In terms of the management team, experience with IHG and working in the Middle East market appear to be the common denominators. For instance, before joining RMAL Hospitality as Vice President of Strategy, Tiina-Maija Bergman, originally from Finland, spent several years heading revenue management for IHG in the Middle East and Africa.

Building strong brands

‘We have an extremely exciting development pipeline in both the restaurant and hotel sectors, and are looking to expand through own and bought brand developments in the Middle East market and globally,’ says Bergman, who also looks after marketing.

The company’s first hotel development is the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, Abu Dhabi, the first Fairmont to grace the emirate. This will be a 369-room hotel with a sparkling array of rooms and suites, a spa, conference facilities and restaurants, all conforming to the trademark Fairmont standards and elegance. Significantly, it will house two of RMAL Hospitality’s restaurant brands: a Frankie’s Italian Restaurant and a Marco Pierre White Steakhouse and Grill.

"The key to the success of all of our brands is to adapt them for the Abu Dhabi and Dubai markets."

Another brand, the noodle chain wagamama, is immensely popular and RMAL Hospitality owns the franchise rights for the whole of the UAE. ‘The key to the success of all of our brands is to adapt them for the Abu Dhabi and Dubai markets,’ says Liddiard. ‘Here, the workforce is made up almost entirely of expatriates, and a strong quality and value product like wagamama would appeal to almost everybody. If you look at all of our brands, you’ll see we offer something for every occasion.’

RMAL Hospitality is careful not to expand for the sake of it, only doing so when the product, place, and promotion are right. The company partners with strategically and commercially relevant investors to ensure successful outcomes. It believes strongly in each of its brands, all of which possess strong identities and stand out from the crowd because of the quality of the offering and the people who operate the restaurants.

Dubai Pearl

Many of the company’s new developments are being carried out through its involvement in Dubai Pearl. This is an AED 15 billion mixed-use development located in the in the heart of http://www.profile-recruitment.com/nov09/anthony-liddiard.asp Page 2 of 3 Brands to riches: Anthony Liddiard CEO RMAL Hospitality 29/10/09 12:37 PM

Tecom which houses , Dubai Internet City and Knowledge Village and overlooks city landmarks the Island, Islands and .

RMAL Hospitality is working closely with Dubai Pearl in the development, management and operations of the prestigious project’s various hospitality elements. A home is being prepared for top-tier global hotel brands such as the Baccarat Hotel, MGM Grand, Bellagio and the Tony Chi-designed Skylofts, to name just a few.

‘The concrete is being laid as we speak,’ says Liddiard, who relishes the key role RMAL plays in the project. ‘The quality of the hospitality retail offering and restaurants will do so much to add excitement and value.’

The hotels are expected to be ready by 2013, occupying the 50th floors of two of the developments’ four 73-storey towers. Future plans include bringing more exciting brands to the project, some of which will be entering the hospitality sector for the first time.

At the epicentre

As the capital of the UAE, RMAL Hospitality’s home base Abu Dhabi is the poised and confident epicentre of much of the emirates’ ongoing development. In the midst of trying economic times, it has proven its strength and viability time and again. The emirate has a strong sense of respecting traditions and the local culture and that marries very well with its commercial plans. Authenticity wrapped in a 21st century veil.

What brings success in this environment? Bergman says, ‘Respect and appreciation of the local customs and culture is absolutely essential. Middle Eastern culture is world famous for its genuine hospitality and the world has a lot to learn from it!’

The company believes in ‘walking the talk’, being models of excellence for team members, partners and owners alike. This is to match the vision and objectives of the business and its success criteria – excellent returns to investors, premium services to customers and continuous investment in the development of the team. ----

Indeed, the company prefers to invest in businesses with significant barriers to entry such as strong brands, significant market positions and key licenses that can’t be replicated solely through the application of capital. Liddiard says, ‘We have a strategic outlook on how we operate and develop, and the particularly tough times only reinforce this. The brands we have introduced are all working successfully as each of them brings something different to the market place and stands out from the crowd.’

An auspicious start, with bags of wow factor.

For more information on RMAL Hospitality, visit their website on www.rmalhospitality.com or contact [email protected].

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