Kathy Sorenson

People and Culture Director - Middle East at Premier Inn MENA

Speaker

Kathy Sorenson, Director of Human Resources at Premier Inn MENA, is a seasoned HR professional with nearly 30 years’ global experience through inhouse and consultancy roles in New Zealand, Canada and, for the last 14 years, the UAE.

After running a successful Dubai-based HR consultancy for six years, Kathy joined Premier Inn MENA in 2018 to redesign and centralise the HR function, focussing on driving team engagement and company culture as well as overseeing all HR activities at the company’s Middle East corporate office and 11 hotels in the UAE and Qatar.

Kathy plays a leading role in delivering new team member-focussed initiatives, including Premier Inn’s inhouse Moon & Stars Awards programme and One Team One Heartbeat, the company’s culture, training and development programme. She is also pivotal in achieving the company’s continued record-breaking team member engagement scores, and is the driving force of Premier Inn’s team member development policy of promoting from within wherever possible.