Staying Power

Tim Cordon, the youngest area senior vice president in the Radisson Hotel Group’s history, shares his thoughts on hospitality success in Africa

- Dayle Kavonic

Radisson has become a household name in hospitality, and it’s quickly taking over the continent. The company is currently the leading hotel brand in Africa, with 96 establishments either in operation or under development across 31 countries. It plans to open another five locally in 2019 alone, and hopes to have more than 23 000 rooms available to the public across the continent by the end of 2022.

How does a portfolio expand so rapidly? What’s behind such impressive growth? And what’s required for business success in the African market? We spoke to Tim Cordon, the group’s area senior vice president for the Middle East and Africa and a well-respected hotelier, to learn more about what drives him and the company.

GQ: You hold a degree in Mechanical Engineering and Design and Technology. Do you draw on that at all in your role today?

Tim Cordon: I believe engineering provides a great foundation for many careers as it requires analytical thinking and frequent problem solving – this grounding has definitely helped me in leading an area of 85 operational hotels. The nature of engineering also requires strong teamwork and clear communication, both of which are skills that are critical for success when running a hotel with over 300 team members or overseeing a very culturally-diverse area with more than 8 000 colleagues. I also believe my degree helped me to develop strong organisational skills. I’m sure if you asked my team, they would say I’m quite a detailed thinker, and I consider myself to be methodical, which is a positive trait when sharing ideas or communicating plans to the team.

GQ: The Radisson Hotel Group has seen phenomenal growth across Africa recently. Why is ours a continent ripe for development?