Hulhule Island Hotel Elevates Ibrahim Naeem to Cluster Executive Chef Position
The management of Hulhule Island Hotel has promoted Ibrahim Naeem to the position of Cluster Executive Chef based on his exceptional culinary skills, leadership qualities and contributions to the organization. In this position, Ibrahim will handle a more extensive culinary portfolio of not only the Hulhule Island Hotel but also other food and beverage operations operated by the hotel. In addition to the main hotel restaurant, Ibrahim will manage the seaplane lounge and the food and beverage outlets situated in the newly opened international terminal building of the Velana International Airport. In this position, Ibrahim will take charge of the culinary operations of all hotels in the portfolio and he will ensure that there is consistency in all the food and beverage outlets. Besides the cost-efficiency, Ibrahim will ensure that the dining experience of the guests and customers of all the outlets is distinct. He will also be involved in the development of new food and beverage concepts and projects.
This promotion is happening during an extremely crucial period for the development of the food and beverage services of Hulhule Island Hotel. The restaurant has already become quite famous for its food and beverages and is developing further with new branches being opened at the major airport sites around the world. Considering Ibrahim's long-standing professional experience, he is very well prepared to lead this phase in the development of the company's culinary activities. After serving previously at Hulhule Island Hotel as Sous Chef and Kitchen Executive between 2016 and 2019, Ibrahim started his position as Executive Chef of the hotel in January 2025. In his previous experience with the hotel, he headed the culinary team and helped the hotel reach success in such prestigious events as Hotel Asia and FHAM culinary challenges. Ibrahim's career includes working as Director of Operations at KHG Hotels. Since 2023, he works as Country President of the World Association of Master Chefs and serves as a certified judge with the World Chef Organisation since 2021.
During his long-standing career as a chef, Ibrahim has won many awards. He became the winner of the Gold Medal and first place in the 2012 Hotel Asia Culinary Challenge and received the award of the Most Outstanding Chef at the 2014 Hotel Asia Culinary Challenge. He won the first place at the Belt and Road Gastro Diplomacy Culinary Competition in China in 2017. In his comment about the promotion, Ali Shakir, who is the Group General Manager at MIC Group, pointed out that this new role for Ibrahim is indicative of his leadership and discipline and high culinary skills which have always been displayed by him ever since he came back to work at the Hulhule Island Hotel.
Speaking about the newly acquired role, Ibrahim appreciated the trust and confidence shown to him as well as expressed his gratitude for being offered the chance to work as Executive Chef at the Hulhule Island Hotel. In particular, Ibrahim mentioned that working in this capacity he would have a chance to collaborate more with culinary staff of the Hulhule Island Hotel and its other branches in order to establish high standards and create good culinary experiences for customers. This promotion of Ibrahim Naeem can be regarded as evidence of Hulhule Island Hotel’s commitment to developing talents within the hotel chain and promoting Maldivian leadership in the hospitality industry.
