Ellaine Siruelo Recognized in Hozpitality's Best 30 HR Leaders Powerlist in the Middle East for 2025
Siruelo, a respected strategist and ethical leader, has become IHG’s key advocate for responsible labor practices in the Gulf. She’s leading a major regional talent initiative across 17 properties while managing HR for the InterContinental Ras Al Khaimah resort.
Ellaine Siruelo has been honored in Hozpitality's prestigious Best 30 HR Leaders Powerlist for 2025, celebrating her remarkable 20+ year journey as a transformative HR leader in the Middle East hospitality sector. Currently serving dual strategic roles as Senior HR Leader for IHG's Kuwait & Bahrain operations and Director of Human Resources at the flagship InterContinental Ras Al Khaimah Mina Al Arab Resort & Spa, Siruelo has established herself as IHG's foremost HR architect in the Gulf region.
A certified Strategic HR Business Partner and Change Agent, Siruelo's career with IHG represents a masterclass in organizational transformation. Her tenure began in 2009 when she built the HR infrastructure from the ground up for Holiday Inn Abu Dhabi's pre-opening - an achievement that set the template for her signature "foundation-first" approach to hospitality HR. This early success propelled her rapid ascent through IHG's ranks, including a pivotal role as Assistant Director of HR at InterContinental Abu Dhabi where she pioneered the region's first integrated talent-business alignment strategy.
Siruelo's regional impact reached new heights during her tenure as Director of Human Resources at Crowne Plaza Bahrain and later at InterContinental Doha Beach & Spa, where she implemented groundbreaking colleague engagement programs that reduced turnover by 40% while elevating service quality scores to record levels. Her "Circle of Excellence" initiative, which created cross-functional career development pathways, has since been adopted as a best practice across IHG's MEA portfolio.
Renowned as both a strategist and ethical leader, Siruelo has become IHG's standard-bearer for responsible labor practices in the Gulf. Her comprehensive compliance frameworks and integrity-based workplace cultures have set new benchmarks for the industry. Currently, she is spearheading IHG's most ambitious regional talent transformation project to date - developing future-ready leadership pipelines across 17 properties in three countries while simultaneously overseeing HR operations for the 350-key InterContinental Ras Al Khaimah resort.
This recognition celebrates Siruelo's unique ability to balance large-scale organizational development with property-level HR excellence. Her upcoming "Hospitality Human Capital 2030" whitepaper, addressing workforce strategies for the next generation of Gulf hospitality, promises to further cement her reputation as one of the industry's most forward-thinking HR visionaries.
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