Off Track: Leadership, Hospitality, and the art of Service with Haitham Mattar

Welcome to a special bonus episode of Luca’s Insight Track. In this 'Off Track' edition, it was inspired by my conversation with the impressive Haitham Mattar, CEO of IHG across the Middle East and wider region. In the conversation, we uncovered insights on what makes a good leader, the state of hospitality and its ongoing challenges, the dying art form of being in service to others, and the implications of moving into a world of high tech vs. high touch.

Haitham and I first met back in 2019 in Riyadh, where we both had the task of launching the ‘New Saudi’ to the world. With decades of experience in hospitality, Haitham was the right person to bring in to share his insights - and ultimately to show why he unfortunately is one of the rare few, that has maintained his passion for the industry. Being in service to other people is a mindset and behavior that is difficult to teach, as is being passionate about taking care of people by thinking of others first. As a region, we are brilliant at hosting others in our homes, we really take care of our guests, and demonstrate a consistent excellence when ‘hosting’. But what happens when they are no longer at your home? Are we still in the service of others, or are we increasingly in the service of ourselves?

In this unfiltered and improvised episode, I share my personal insights that continue to shape who I am. - If you’re looking to listen to a raw and honest conversation on different subjects, ‘Off Track’ is the place for you.