This week, I sat down with the brilliant Basel Jabri, and this one’s got everything.Global upbringing, accidental career pivots, iconic hotel brands, and a journey that goes from literally steering boats in Dubai… to leading people & culture across a luxury London hotel group.And the best bit?It all started with a dream that didn’t happen.In this episode, Basel and I get into…Growing up internationally thanks to his father’s career in aviationWhy he originally wanted to be a pilot, and how 9/11 changed that path overnightFalling into hospitality… and grabbing the opportunity without overthinking itMoving to Dubai at 21 and stepping into one of the most iconic hospitality boom periodsStarting out in guest relations (and unexpectedly managing boat transfers 😅)The power of saying yes to opportunities, even when they’re not what you expectedMoving into training and HR… and discovering a passion for people developmentLeading teams at just 25, and the reality of responsibility hitting fastWorking across some of the world’s most recognisable luxury brands: Jumeirah, Shangri-La, Raffles, Rotana, Hyatt, Meliá, HiltonExperiencing hospitality across cultures - and why Dubai feels like the “United Nations” of the industrySome cracking quote-ables from Basel“I didn’t choose hospitality… it chose me”“I grabbed the opportunity, I didn’t wait for the perfect plan”“At 25, your signature suddenly means something”“Dubai showed me the world before I ever travelled it”“You need to say yes first… and figure it out after”Why this episode is worth your earsIf you’ve ever felt like your career didn’t go to plan…Good.Because Basel’s story is a brilliant reminder that sometimes the best paths are the ones you didn’t intend to take.There’s also a huge amount in here around:Leadership at a young ageLearning through experience (not titles)Building confidence in completely new environmentsAnd why people & culture should sit at the heart of hospitalityPlus… more than a few stories you don’t hear every dayShow PartnersA big shout out to the first of today’s show partner, RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/philThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy