Marriott International has announced the appointment of the senior management team who will lead the launch of the new Element Al Jaddaf hotel in the heart of Dubai’s historic creekside district.

Leading the team is GM Richard Bleakley – an experienced hotelier who has been involved at the property from the planning stage. Bleakley’s journey with Marriott began in the UK in 2000. Starting his career in sales and marketing, he discovered a burgeoning passion for operations and transitioned to the role of Operations Director at the Marriott Forest of Arden Hotel & Country Club, UK, in 2007, before ascending to his first position as General Manager of the Northampton Marriott Hotel, in 2009.

Since relocating to the UAE in 2012, he has managed a number of properties. More recently, his experience was instrumental in the opening of the five-star Marriott Al Forsan Resort. Presently overseeing multiple properties including, the Marriott Hotel Al Jaddaf & Marriott Executive Apartments, Marriott Executive Apartments Dubai Creek, and Four Points by Sheraton Bur Dubai, he will add Element Al Jaddaf to his portfolio.

Ravneet Arora was appointed as Multi-Property Director of Sales in August 2020 as part of Elements’ pre-opening team, whilst equally overseeing Marriott Executive Apartments Dubai Creek and Four Points by Sheraton, Bur Dubai driving the Sales and Marketing efforts for all the hotels.

Mohanad Amer will manage all hotel operations, as Multi-Property Director of Operations. Nancy Shaker, Multi-Property Director of Human Resources, oversees all aspects of talent management including recruitment, learning and development, employee engagement and performance management, for Element Al Jaddaf, in addition to the four other properties in her portfolio.

Devising the culinary offering of the Element Al Jaddaf hotel is experienced chef of 12 years, Jelson Jayapragasan. He has sharpened and developed his cooking skills working across leading, luxury hospitality brands, including Shangri-La, Fairmont, and Jumeirah.