Carina Williamson, General Manager of the Radisson SAS Belfast

Carina Williamson, who ranks as the first female General Manager of the Radisson SAS group in the UK and Ireland, could be considered something of a workaholic by most standards, but she willingly admits that the devotion to the job has helped her on her way to the top.

Cutting her teeth in the hospitality business as a commis chef over a decade ago, the hard-working lass, originally from Norway, swapped her chef's hat for a front-of-house position in a bid to move closer to achieving her long-term career goal of becoming a General Manager by the time she was 30.

"I started my career as a commis chef with the Radisson. But in the kitchen, it is difficult to have contact with the guests…the only contact with people outside the kitchen is with the waiters and waitresses taking out the orders.

"I'm a very social person, so I love to be out there meeting and greeting the customers. That's why I decided to move out of the kitchen…to have more interaction with the guests. Even then I knew that I wanted to be a general manager.

"Sheer hard work and determination has helped me to achieve my long term goal of becoming General Manager with a great international company like Radisson SAS.

"I've always said that I wanted to become a GM by the time I was 30….that was my goal. I just made the deadline….I got the post when I was 29," says Williamson.

"I've worked hard, but it's all been well worth it….tough but enjoyable!"

Having commited to a career in hospitality, she graduated from the School of Hotel Management in Stavanger and was awarded a top scholarship for a management course at Cornell University. Her first foray abroad took her to Dublin where she spent one of the toughest years of her career as a bar and lounge manager in the Radisson SAS St. Helen's Hotel. Williamson regards this year as being one of the most formative years in developing vital skills in the business.

And while it didn't take long to build up a reputation with her colleagues and bosses at the international company, Williamson admits that at the beginning she had to prove that she wasn't a push-over.

"It has been quite tough climbing the ranks, but I think it's tough for anyone trying to reach general manager status. And without sounding like a typical woman, yes you have to prove yourself. I found that I had to prove to a lot of people that I wasn't soft. I think because I'm a friendly person, a lot of people wondered how I would cope…...so I found at times that I really had to fight my corner.

"I have said "yes" to most of the things the company has asked of me to prove them that I really was worthy of making it to GM level. I am still prepared to do whatever is asked of me….I've even moved to Belfast without my husband (who lives in Glasgow) in order to achieve my goal. If the company asked me to move to another hotel within 3 days - I'd do it for the job. My husband works for the same company, so he understands the pressures."

The affable blonde, also shocked her colleagues when he nearly cancelled her honeymoon to go into work just days after her wedding, but that was before she found out that it was a set-up by her boss and brother to see how far she would actually go to prove her dedication to work.

"My boss rang me and told me that he really needed me in London a few days after the wedding…..when I would have been on honeymoon. So I told him I'd cancel the honeymoon and wouldn't tell anyone….except my husband of course," recalls Williamson.

"It was a complete wind-up. The conversation was recorded on an audio tape and played back to me on the wedding day. My husband's parents think I'm an absolute nightmare! So it really goes to prove that I'd practically do anything for the job! I know it sounds sad, but it's true….I just love my job.

"No two days are the same. I come in and have certain things planned and a lot of the time the day completely changes. I love the contact with people…..I get a real buzz from interacting with the staff and the guests.

"And of course I am results driven as well - achieving good results is vital…whether it's financial or customer satisfaction results," she adds.

As well as thriving on the interaction with members of staff and guests, the young professional also believes that many managers in the industry often underestimate the value of drawing ideas from the team.

Williamson explains, "The number of ideas I get from my staff here is unbelievable…from the kitchen porters and the waiting staff to the accountants. The people should be the driving force of the business. It's actually a great motivator for the staff to see their ideas come to fruition. Our accounts department run a bimonthly 'ladies for lunches' afternoon…the staff love getting involved and the lunches have been so successful."

Revealing that along with all of the highs in her career, she's had to overcome a few nail-biting challenges in the form of opening new hotels to the public.

"I think any opening of a hotel can be classified as one of the toughest challenges. Especially the day before you are due to open and you have no hot water, the beds are yet not in the rooms, the place looks like a mess. The big challenge is motivating the team to keep going after they have worked around the clock for the last 3 weeks."

"Motivating yourself to work throughout the night to ensure you actually can open the doors the following day."

"The adrenalin flows and as soon as that door opens all the long hours and stress disappears, and you are left with such a great feeling of achievement."

With hopes to remain with the company, Williamson looks forward to staying in Belfast in the near future to make her mark before moving on to the mainland to open a few more hotels.

"I'm still new in this role and I love it so much that I don't see myself going anywhere in the near future. I'd like to stay in Belfast for a while because I love this hotel and I love the city. Eventually I'd like to move on, maybe do a few openings as a general manager. Some people would say that they'd like to go to a bigger hotel with more staff. But I wouldn't want that….I prefer the warm atmosphere of a smaller hotel. Getting to know the staff and guests is great and getting on first name terms with everyone is important," she adds.

"There are regional managers jobs, vice president jobs and head office jobs…..but at this moment in time I really want to make my time here in Belfast into a success story. Then when I have done all that I can do I'll move on - maybe to a hotel in a warmer country!"

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