Managemant Team

BUSINESS EXPERIENCE

More than 42 (Forty-two) years of corporate and entrepreneurial experience..

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

Bachelor in Social Science (Sociology) from University of Dhaka.

Master’s in Social Science (Sociology) from University of Dhaka

MEMBERSHIP OF BOARD COMMITTEE

Chairman, Investment Committee

Mr. Mohd. Noor Ali is a prominent entrepreneur of the country having interest in Real Estate, Hospitality & Tourism sector, Ceramic Industry, Power Plants, Manpower Export, Banking Services, Housing Finance & Investment, Human Resource Development, Land Development, and many other businesses. He is the Managing Director of Unique Hotel & Resorts PLC and the Unique Group, a renowned business conglomerate in Bangladesh and Chairman of the Unique Meghnaghat Power Limited. Mr. Ali is the only Bangladeshi entrepreneur who has pioneered to set up a 5-Star Hotel (The Westin Dhaka & Sheraton Dhaka) in the private sector and Prestigious own brand Hansa Residence at Uttara. ‘The Westin Dhaka and Hansa Residence’ is already very popular amongst the local and foreign communities. During the fourteen years of its business operation, The Westin Dhaka has achieved enviable success under Mr. Ali’s able leadership.

Great freedom fighter Mr. Ali was born in an aristocratic Muslim Family in 1953 at Nababganj under Dhaka District. He is involved in many social and philanthropic activities. Mr. Ali is a widely traveled person across the globe including USA, UK, Switzerland, Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Maldives, Thailand, Russia, Libya, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, and India. He attended many seminars at home and abroad.

REMARKABLE POSITIONS:

Mr. Ali involved in many social and philanthropic activities & associated with various trade Bodies and hold various prestigious positions, some of these are presented below:

• Former Chairman of Eastern Bank Limited.
• Former President of Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA)
• Member of Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FBCCI).
• Executive committee member of Dhaka University Alumni Association.
• Life member of Gulshan Club Limited, Dhaka University Alumni Association, and Dhaka University Registered Graduate.

CORPORATE EXPERIENCE

More than 20 (Twenty) years of experience in the Hospitality & Tourism Industry in Bangladesh.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

Master of Philosophy (MPhil) and MBA in Tourism & Hospitality Management – University of Dhaka.

CAREER EXPERIENCE

Md. Shakawath Hossain is a renowned professional in the hospitality & tourism industry in Bangladesh. Throughout his career, he has worked in various prestigious hotels in Bangladesh and completed many international and national trainings in different fields. All throughout, he has shown his strong leadership ability in various capacities. He possesses sound knowledge about the overall market, including competitors’ strengths, economic trends, supply, and demand. During his tenure of 13 years at The Westin Dhaka, he crossed several steps of success and was the General Manager (acting) from January 2017 until recent time and was also appointed as the youngest Resident Manager by Marriott International. Previously he was in various leading roles such as Director of Operations and Director of Rooms & Operational Excellence. He contributed immensely to establish The Westin Dhaka as one of the Leading Hotels of Bangladesh and now he is on his journey to take Unique Hotel & Resorts PLC to another level of success. He is also an adjunct faculty of Southeast University and American International University of Bangladesh.

AWARDS

Md. Shakawath Hossain recently received the “Icon of the Hospitality Award 2022” by 7th International Business Genius Bangladesh - 2022 - organized by Federation of Hospitality, Tourism and Event Management (FoHTEM). He was also recognized as a winner in Asian Curry Award 2021, for his impactful contribution, influence and leadership in the industry. The Curry Award is an exclusive International accolade awarded by Asian Catering Federation, UK for outstanding achievements and contribution in the national and global hospitality industry. With his entrepreneur mindset, this dynamic and well-educated senior leader boasts an excellent track record with many professional achievements. During his time at The Westin Dhaka, he achieved many milestones, including multiple luxury hotel awards and many regional benchmarks with the hotel being recognized both with Starwood and Marriott as a top 30 and 50 performers respectively within the Asia Pacific Region.

AFFILIATIONS

• Co-Chairman of Bangladesh International Hotel Association’s (BIHA) standing committee of Planning and Development.
• Advisor, Chef’s Federation of Bangladesh (CFB).
• Member of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) Bangladesh.
• Director of World Tourism Network (WTN) Dhaka Chapter.
• Fellow Member of Bangladesh Society for Human Resources Management (BSHRM)

IN HANDS EXPERIENCE

Over 40 years of extensive experience in the field of Food and Beverage and Hotel Management

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

Stephane Masse, the new General Manager of The Westin Dhaka is a successful hospitality professional with extensive experience in the field of Food and Beverage and Hotel Management for various International Hotel groups and Leading Hotels of the World across Europe, North America and Asia, where he spent most of his management career. Stephane has held various leadership roles within Shangri-La, Intercontinental, Starwood, Marriott and most recently with Radisson Hotels and Resorts in Bangkok, where he led his team through some extremely challenging times, when the hotel was closed for few months due to the pandemic and has reopened it successfully. As a seasoned hotelier, he has always been motivated by creative projects and practices, that differentiate the offerings for guests while taking service standards to a new high. In addition to this, his focus in driving teamwork and being able to draw a connection between combined efforts and the organization’s goals is what sets him and his leadership style apart. Stephane is no stranger to Dhaka, as he was previously at the helm of The Westin Dhaka during its post opening phase where he set the hotel up for success in its early days. He has also led of a number of pre openings during his career. With his return to the Marriott family, he is all set to take the hotel to new heights by driving revenues and focusing on creating exceptional guest experiences.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

BBA and MBA from Dhaka University (DU)

Chartered Secretary from the Institute of Chartered Secretaries of Bangladesh (ICSB)

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

Mr. Hasan is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries of Bangladesh (ICSB). He is both Chartered Secretary and HR professional by profession. Mr. Hasan is the council member of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries of Bangladesh (ICSB) and also the Chairman of the Corporate Law Review Sub Committee of the Institute. Mr. Hasan is the Director (Regulatory Affairs) & Company Secretary of Unique Hotel & Resorts Limited (Owner of the Westin Dhaka) joined Unique Group in February 2015. Mr. Hasan came from a respected Muslim family and involved himself with various social and voluntary activities.

CAREER EXPERIENCE

Prior joining in Unique Hotel & Resorts Limited Mr. Hasan has served at Pubali Bank Limited as Assistant Company Secretary and Pubali Bank Securities Limited

PROFESSIONAL & WELFARE ASSOCIATIONS

• Md. Sharif Hasan is the adjunct faculty of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries of Bangladesh (ICSB) and part time faculty member of the UPDATE College of Hospitality Management.
• He is a life time member of the Dhaka University Alumni Association and Dhaka University registered graduate.
• Mr. Hasan is also a standing committee member of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) and member of the Bangladesh Association of Publicly Listed Companies (BAPLC) representing Unique Hotel & Resorts Limited.

TRAINING AND SEMINAR

In the journey of his career, he attended various training programs and participated in seminars and workshops on different aspect of Corporate Governance, Banking and Capital Market, Company Law, Secretarial Audit, Corporate Management & Leadership, Labor Law, IFRS, Career Management etc.

He attended in the SAFA Best Presented Annual Report Awards and SAARC Anniversary Awards for Corporate Governance Disclosures, 2016 held at Kathmondhu, Nepal and a 4-day Master class ““Corporate Governance, Culture and Board Dynamics Excellence 2019” at Singapore in 2019

DATE OF APPOINTMENT

Appointed on 03 February 2025

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

• Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA), The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB).
• Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA), The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA).
• Certified Supply Chain Manager (CSCM)

Mr. Hasan is a seasoned Accounts, Finance, and Auditing professional with 17 years of experience. He specializes in Management Accounting, Financial Reporting, VAT & Tax compliance Audit management, Internal auditing, and strategic planning. At Unique Hotel & Resorts PLC (UHRPLC), he manages and optimize the Accounts & Finance functions. His responsibilities include leading finance teams, making strategic decisions, and addressing stakeholder needs. Mr. Hasan also focus on developing and maintaining financial goals for the organization.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and prestigious certifications, including Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA), Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA), and Certified Supply Chain Manager. Mr. Hasan has held leadership roles at well-known organizations such as Svitzer Bangladesh, MGH Group, Abdul Monem Ltd., Portlink Logistics Centre Ltd., and The City Bank Ltd. His vast experience in finance and leadership makes him a key asset to UHRPLC. He has a strong track record in both strategic planning and operational leadership. His background in audit and financial management will be invaluable to the company. Mr. Hasan is known for his dedication to financial excellence. His experience aligns perfectly with UHRPLC’s goals for growth and success.

TRAINING & SEMINAR

In the journey of his career, he attended various training programs and participated in seminars and workshops on different aspects of Capital Market, VAT, and Tax, IFRS, leadership skills etc. Moreover, he also participated in the Global Management Training Program (GMTP) by International School of Business (ISB) Hyderabad, National University of Singapore (NUS), Risk Based Internal Audit under Basel II by South Asian Management Technology Workshop place- Dubai, UAE and Fire Risk, Safety & Security organized by Bureau Veritas.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

MBA in Management Information System- American International University-Bangladesh

Mr. Muhammad Abul Kalam Talukdar is Resident Manager of HANSA - A Premium Residence

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

Mr. Kalam has 16 years of exciting working experience in different luxurious international brand hotel and resorts. He also established a consistent positive reputation of Hotel HANSA as a local brand and ranked in number one hotel in TripAdvisor in Uttara, Dhaka. He was recognized for his outstanding performance in business, leadership and in successful operational capacity, especially in the most challenging time of COVID-19.

CARIEER EXPERIENCE

Prior to HANSA, Mr. Kalam led the reservations and revenue management team under Sales and Marketing department of The Westin Dhaka. With his diverse knowledge and innovative ideas, he also successfully managed the front office and guest experience team of the same hotel. Being very proficient in computer literacy and technical knowledge he was an important part of Starwood and Marriott integration and implementation process at The Westin Dhaka. Through this long working experience, he has shown his successful leadership ability in various capacities that includes customer service, reservations and revenue management, building loyalty, resource and process development and operational excellence.

TRAININGS

Mr. Kalam attended number of international trainings and workshops on revenue, hospitality and customer service management.