7 QUESTIONS
Hospitality abroad
Nicolette van der Lee - Cornelese [F 2008] and Sander van der Lee [F 2008] met at school. Living and working abroad was a mutual dream. For them, the Netherlands was a country you could always return to. Now they have been together for 17 years, and 14 of those years they are living abroad. BY ANKIE HOEFNAGELS
1
How did you two end up in Dubai?
Nicolette says, ‘We embarked on an adventure with no specific goal in mind. Through HRC we both got jobs in Washington. Me at Hilton and Sander at Sheraton. On a J1 visa for one year. We had a great life. But there were also irregular working hours. Sander adds, ‘In America, it became clear to me that working in operations wasn’t my thing. I had already done a finance job at Accor HQ Schiphol and numbers attracted me more.’ After a year, they weren’t done with working abroad. Sander wanted to work in revenue management, which was relati
vely unknown at the time. Through his network, he got an opportunity in London. Nicolette got a job at Hilton. One of the factors in their choice for London was that the Olympics were going to take place in London. But it was expensive, their apartment tiny and taking the tube to work every day like a sardine in a can wasn’t great. They were ready for a new adventure. Sander: ‘We had friends who lived in Dubai. There were plenty of opportunities. I was working at the Hilton Revenue Management Consolidated Center, and they were going to open the same in Dubai for the Middle East and Africa.
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fundament
Nicolette found a job at a hospita lity procurement company.’
2
What is your life in Dubai?
They have been living in Dubai for 9 years. They are parents of daughter Luna (3,5). Living in a spacious apartment within walking distance of the beach. With a great group of friends from all over the world. Sander has a great career at Hilton and Nicolette has switched to a job as Legal Secretary, at a large American law firm. They can both apply their multiple talents at work.
3
Cultural difference between the Emirates and the Netherlands? ‘The authentic Arab culture is here, but you don’t usually encounter it. In meetings with
