Ifti Hussain has been appointed to the newly created role of country manager.
Ifti Hussain.
Highly experienced hospitality and hotel manager Ifti Hussain has been appointed to the newly created role of country manager for Sudima Hotels, effective April 1.
The role gives Hussain responsibility for the operations of the seven Sudima Hotels in Auckland and Christchurch (each with two hotels), Rotorua, Kaikōura, and Queenstown. He will work closely with his fellow senior executives in the group and all hotel managers and hold ultimate responsibility for approximately 500 staff across the seven sites.
Hussain ascends to the position from the role of regional general manager of North Island Hotels, which he held for nearly five years. He joined the group in early 2011 and has risen through the ranks to play an instrumental part in building the group’s reputation as a national provider of leading hospitality, accommodation, and conference facilities.
Though Hussain formally takes up the role in April, he has spent time in March at the Kaikōura and Queenstown hotels, which were less familiar to him in his career to date, during which he managed Sudima Auckland Airport, Sudima Christchurch Airport and later leading the North Island properties.
“There is a real sense of achievement and excitement in taking on this role and I have been fortunate to be able to progress my career and keep growing with Sudima Hotels as the brand and portfolio has grown nationally. When I started, we just had two hotels with another on the way. There has always been a strong values alignment between the group and me as a person and leader," Hussain said.
“Because of my previous roles I know many teams and leaders in the business very well, and over the next few months I will be getting to know the South Island teams and providing guidance and support to all the operational leaders.
"A big part of my role is working alongside hotel leadership teams on developing business strategies, training plans, processes and systems for consistency and efficiency improvements. ahead, we will be building on the automation and digitalisation we already have underway to make the team more efficient and enhance the customer experience."
Hussain was part of the Hotel Leadership team that won the New Zealand Supreme Award for Team Achievement in 2019 and was a finalist for the Tourism Industry Association General Manager of the Year award in 2018. He also was an advisory board member at the Pacific International Hotel Management School and supported community projects with organisations including Ronald McDonald House and Make-A-Wish.
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