Kempinski Hotels appoints Melissa Salibi as CHRO

CHRO South Africa 04 December 2019

Melissa joined Kempinski as the regional HR director for the Middle East and Africa in 2013.

Europe’s oldest luxury hotel group Kempinski Hotels has appointed Melissa Salibi as Chief Human Resources Officer and Member of the Management Board. An experienced HR professional, Melissa started her career in 1999 as an HR administrator at Woolworths. Since then, she has gradually progressed into various generalist and training-related managerial roles, developing herself into a knowledgeable and strategic HR professional. She joined Kempinski in 2013 when she took a regional role as director of HR for the Middle East, Africa and India during the merger between Fairmont, Raffles, and Swissôtel, which then became FRHI Hotels & Resorts, overseeing 18 properties and developing the function in her region.

In 2015 Melissa joined Kempinski's Dubai Regional Office as Regional HR Director for the Middle East and Africa, overseeing more than 20 operating properties and actively supporting pre-openings and leading special projects. Earlier this year Melissa was promoted to Senior Director of HR, Middle East and Africa.

Melissa holds a Bachelor's Degree in Health & Social Services, specializing in Psychological Counseling, from the University of South Africa and a Master of Science in Organisational and Business Psychology from the University of Liverpool, England. A South-African national, she speaks fluent English in addition to her mother tongue, Afrikaans.

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