Sunuj S.Deen Named Among Hozpitality's Best 30 F&B Leaders in the Middle East
Sunuj S.Deen, Director of Food & Beverage, Gulf Hotel Bahrain, has been recognized as one of the Best 30 F&B Leaders in the Middle East by Hozpitality Group.
Commencing his career as a Management Trainee with IHG, Sunuj progressed through diverse management roles with IHG in India, EMAAR Hospitality in the UAE, and eventually landed at the prestigious Gulf Hotel Convention & Spa in Bahrain under the Gulf Hotels Group.
In his role as Director of Food & Beverage at the Gulf Hotel Convention and Spa, Sunuj oversees a team of 275 efficient professionals deployed across 10 specialty restaurants, 3 bars, and 3 lounges. Additionally, he manages a large Outdoor catering and Convention unit, orchestrating an impressive average of 1500 covers per day.
A standout achievement in Sunuj's career has been his pivotal role in ideating and managing large-scale operations for five consecutive F1 events in Bahrain. This involved meticulous planning and execution, handling a staggering 11,000 covers over three days each year for this international mega event.
Sunuj's operational purview extends to managing award-winning restaurants alongside highly reputed chefs, including Chef Vineet Bhatia at Rasoi by Vineet, Chef Giancarlo Perbellini, Chef Kazuo Takagi, and Chef Tala Bashmi.
His career motto, "Be the Change that you want to see," encapsulates his proactive and transformative approach to his role.
With over 18 years of balanced, result-driven experience in the hospitality industry across India and the Middle East, Sunuj emerges as a hands-on leader. His ability to motivate teams and achieve noteworthy results is evidenced by the awards garnered in the establishments where he has worked.
Sunuj's key skills and competencies encompass a hands-on management style, strong service orientation, organizational efficiency, multicultural team handling, detailed knowledge and hands-on experience in Food & Beverage business, excellent communication skills, and computer literacy in MS Office, Oracle, and Symphony. Moreover, he boasts excellent experience in the implementation of ISO, HACCP, and SOPs.
As the Director of Food & Beverage at Gulf Hotel Convention & Spa since April 2021, Sunuj has excelled in various key performance areas. He heads the department, directing the overall Food and Beverage operation of the hotel, covering a spectrum of services. This includes 10 restaurants, 3 bars, 3 lounges, a pool bar, in-room dining, banqueting, conventions, outdoor catering, and Bahrain International Circuit catering operations.
His achievements include delivering a departmental GOP of 30% and 31% in the challenging post-COVID years of 2021 and 2022, respectively. Notably, he achieved a milestone contribution of One Million BHD in Food & Beverage revenue in March 2023. Sunuj has successfully negotiated contract renewals and culinary collaborations with Michelin Star & celebrity chefs for the years 2023 - 2024. He played a pivotal role in planning and ideating successful events such as F1 2023, catering to 45,000 meals in 5 days, and the Inter-parliamentary Union (IPU) 2023, catering to 2,500 international delegates.
His leadership has been instrumental in winning 11 F&B Awards at the FACT Dining Awards 2022, equalling the highest record set the previous year. Sunuj's guidance has propelled Fusions by Tala restaurant to be the 3rd Best Restaurant in the MENA region and Number 1 in Bahrain, as awarded by the world's 50 BEST Restaurants. He serves as a core member of the Food Safety management team, contributing to the recertification of ISO 22000 and HACCP certifications for the hotel in January 2018. Sunuj is a qualified Internal auditor for ISO 22000:18, certified by TUV Nord.
Meela Seenarain
Dubai, United Arab Emirates UAE