Alba D'Souza
Holiday Inn Abu Dhabi (Intercontinental Hotels Group), Marketing and PR Manager
Job Type
On the job
Location
United Arab Emirates, Dubai
Chat
Personal Advantage
Forward-thinking and creative marketing communications professional with over 10 years’ experience across broadcast, hospitality and e-commerce, with a mission to develop and execute end-to-end integrated marketing campaigns. Has led teams with a collaborative approach, and able to work independently when required. Agile and ROI-focused, constantly seeking new creative and innovative ways to deliver business and marketing solutions.
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Experience
Marketing and PR Manager
2011-12 - 2015-06
Holiday Inn Abu Dhabi (Intercontinental Hotels Group) Manager
Content
Achievements o Generated revenue of AED 100,000 via a pre-planned F&B event in a single-day o Generated PR coverage worth over AED 1 Million YOY o Established a strong social media presence across channels with an exponential growth of over 400% in 1 year o Secured a 100% on brand audits over 3 years, ranked no.1 across the GCC o Led CSR activities and established tie-ups with the Make a Wish Foundation UAE, Breast Cancer Arabia and IHG Shelter in a Storm o Nominated by General Manager for Hotelier Middle East PR and Marketing Person of the Year Award Responsibilities o Developed and executed annual marketing plans including social media and digital plans o Created editorial calendars, and scheduled content for social media, digital ads and e-newsletters o Developed quarterly PR campaigns and media strategies in line with overall business objectives o Pitched commercial and corporate stories, managed photoshoots, organized press conferences and PR events, addressed media inquiries o Reviewed guest trends, online activity analysis and monitored social media via social listening tool – Revinate o Proactively coordinated with HR, internal teams and stakeholders to support internal communications o Liaised with global corporate teams for ad-hoc requests on local media relations and adaptation of global campaigns
Assistant Manager – Corporate Marketing Communications
2015-06 - 2020-07
Dubai World Trade Centre Assistant Manager
Content
Achievements o Seven Sands - DWTC off-site restaurant, was awarded Favourite Middle Eastern Restaurant (below 400) at the What’s On Awards in 2016 and 2017 o Initiated the website re-launch of DWTC’s restaurant - Seven Sands in 2016, and planned, developed and executed strategic marketing and PR campaigns alongside the in-house PR team o Oversaw the launch of https://www.dwtcweddings.com/ and https://dwtchospitality.com/ o Led a team of 5 to deliver all marketing requirements in 24 hours across ATL and BTL channels with 100% accuracy Responsibilities o Supported 2 senior corporate marketing managers, internal marketing event and exhibition teams, and HR internal communication teams o Assisted in DWTC brand refresh, ensuring alignment with the overall corporate brand objectives o Led F&B photoshoots for live events and seasonal F&B launches
Content Editor – Digital Marketing
2020-09 - 2022-03
Sun & Sand Sports (E-commerce) Assistant Manager
Content
Achievements o As content lead for Under Armour (U.A.E. & KSA) executed all content for UA web and app content o Led SSS blog with content generated on a weekly basis with over 5000 unique visitors on a WOW basis o Identified and collaborated with influencers to produce lifestyle and seasonal blogs (https://blog.sssports.com/author/alba/) Responsibilities o Provide marketing teams with multiple brand campaign-related copy for social media, newsletters, emailers, app and web notification o Coordinate with performance marketing, analytics and CRM teams to review overall content performance o Attended seasonal brand sell-ins when requested to gain insight and understanding into key products launches
PR & Marketing Manager
2022-03 -
voco Dubai The Palm - Pre-opening (Intercontinental Hotels Group) Manager
Content
Achievements o Led the hotel launch announcement at Arabian Travel Market , with over $123,000 in coverage, and social media engagement rates of 8.1%, impressions of 11,000 and an increase in follower count by over 74%, within 1 week o Budgeted mid-to-long term and tactical marketing strategies of AED 4 million to support the commercial strategy for rooms, food & beverage and events o Voted as one of the region’s top 75 marketing talents in the Hotelier Middle East’s Marketing Power List 2022 Responsibilities o Worked on positioning, branding and marketing launch plan for the hotel o Developing marketing calendars and advertising spends for rooms and F&B concepts – Maison Mathis and Frenia o Onboarded multiple OTAs and food aggregators to drive awareness, bookings and footfall o Crafting SEO-friendly web copy to position the hotel as a leading lifestyle destination on the Palm West Beach o Overseeing PR agency and photography agency for brand, F&B and lifestyle shoots o Driving sponsorships, brand partnerships, influencer collaborations and CSR activities o Liaising with IHG Corporate Office on global brand campaign adaptation and implementation at the hotel
Education
Advertising · Bachelor
2005-04-04 - 2008-04-01
St. Xavier's College
Marketing and Advertising · Master
2008-08-08 - 2009-11-14
University of Leeds
Popular members
Tharushi Fernando
October 24th, 2022 Dear Hiring Manager, I'm excited to be applying for the work force management. As a certified human resource professional, I gain satisfaction from serving my community by helping service-oriented companies like Agoda employees. I look forward to assisting Dorchester Collection in the improvement of employee relations by developing and implementing initiatives that support the employees from the moment of hire until the time of retirement. As the Human Resources Manager in Doblexl(pvt) Ltd, I was a key senior leader in the organization and was responsible for improving the efficiency and performance of the company's 350 employees. Before that, I worked in human resources, equal employment opportunity and diversity for Doublexl(pvt) Ltd. Elegant Knitting International, Plams Mount Lavina Hotel, Srilanka, Rose Ryhaan by Rotana Hotel, Dubai. I developed an employee retention plan that involved the creation of a wellness program, an internal training program and a promotions selection process, which led to 80% reduction in the overall employee turnover rate. Eleven years of experience in human resources management and organizational development has provided me with the experience, skills and ability required to lead the human resource management team and help recruit and retain talented staff to make I have completed Graduate Diploma in Human Resources Management from Business Management School which is equalling for the bachelor’s degree, I have accredited certified with Charted institute of business management and following a Master's degree in Msc in Human Resources Management in university of Northampton. Thank you for your time and consideration. I welcome the opportunity to discuss my qualifications and experience for the position of Human Resources Manager. Sincerely, Thank you so much for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Tharushi Chamari Fernando
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