Takis Melitsiotis
BA Hons International Hospitality Management, 2006
About me
- General Manager at Native Manchester
- Studied: BA (Hons) International Hospitality Management, 2006
- Contact me on LinkedIn
ABOUT MY CAREER
During my degree I did my placement with Mere Golf and Country Club, Knutsford. It’s important for students to undertake a placement. Hospitality is a hands-on industry, the winning combination is a good balance of higher level education and practical experience.
After graduating, I worked as a graduate manager with IHG, located at Crowne Plaza, Heathrow. I secured that role as a result of completing my International Hospitality Management at Manchester Metropolitan, and after receiving offers from numerous graduate schemes, I opted in for IHG’s.
I currently work as a general manager at Native Manchester luxury lifestyle aparthotel in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, I have full accountability for the business, including the exciting Ducie Street Warehouse on the ground floor.
The accounting and finance skills plus HR and employment law knowledge that I gained during my degree, are key to my role.
Continuing professional development is key to developing your career further. Since graduating I completed leadership programmes with employers such as Franklin Covey’s 5 Choices to Extraordinary.
MY TOP TIP FOR STUDENTS
Decide what you want to become as early as possible so that you can tailor the path towards that goal. It’s not a problem for that path to change or be aligned with something else as long as there is a logical and thought-out plan from early on. There will be certain areas of the business that you find a passion for. Use this to guide you as you grow.
Get a mentor and aim to build your professional network as soon as possible. Knowing influential people in the industry will help you pave the way for success and will differentiate you from other candidates applying for the same role. Never be afraid of asking a GM to be a mentor. The worst they can say is no. If that happens, ask another GM.
Starting in an entry level position is the best way to grow. You’ll gain vital experience and when you become a manager, you’ll understand that department more, how that team thinks and great practices to apply for future roles. Explore as many entry level positions as you can.
Remember your people skills. Hospitality is about people looking after people, if you’re good at that, it’s half the battle.
I’M INSPIRED BY
Working with a talented team who strive to achieve personal and business goals as well as seeing my team climb the ranks and be part of a succession planning culture.
WHY I LOVE MANCHESTER MET
The educational experience. How relevant the placement year was for my development and insertion into the big wide world of hospitality. Manchester Met gave me the right balance of theory and education to stack against practical experience.