The hospitality industry is renowned for bringing together people from all walks of life and offering opportunities around the world – and one of Movenpick Hotel Hobart’s emerging leaders is a prime example. Growing up on the outskirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka’s bustling capital, Richard Pollocks knew the hospitality industry was for him before he had even turned 10. Initially dreaming of becoming a chef, by the age of 16 he was working as a pastry chef intern at Cinnamon Grand, a five-star hotel regarded as one of the most luxurious the culturally rich city has to offer. After six months Pollocks was eager to further his skills, so he joined the William Angliss TAFE Institute _ leading him firstly to Melbourne in 2019 and now to Tasmania. “They are obviously an Australian based institution, but they also have a branch in Sri Lanka where you can fast track your studies to go to Australia,” Pollocks, now 23, says. PEOPLE PROFILE: Richard Pollocks.
“I did an advanced diploma there for two years and I topped the batch with the best student for HR. “I then worked my way to Melbourne where I did the other half of my degree the other two years and finished in 2020, and I was most proud that I topped the batch again with the dux award for tourism and hospitality.” While studying in Melbourne, Pollocks secured a position with the Accor Hotel Group at Ibis Budget in Dandenong as housekeeper, where it didn’t take long for management to realise his potential and hand him a promotion to front office. It was from that point Pollocks believes he really got a taste of what “hospitality really is like”. “Just meeting literally every person you can find in the world, especially in a suburb like Dandenong that is so culturally enriched,” he says. “Meeting different people you work with, you meet so many different cultures and nationalities and you just have that exchange effect where you learn something from other
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