Women of MENA Spotlights: Maram Kokandi, Saudi Arabia’s Hospitality Pioneer

In this episode of Women of MENA — Spotlights, we profile Maram Kokandi, a trailblazing operations and strategy executive who made history as Saudi Arabia’s first female hotel General Manager. We follow her career journey across major regional and international hotel brands, including her landmark leadership at the Park Inn by Radisson in Jeddah and her operational oversight at premier properties like the JW Marriott Hotel Riyadh and DoubleTree by Hilton. The episode highlights her commercial expertise, her dedication to local talent development through successful 80% Saudization initiatives, and her historic recognition as the first Saudi and Arab female to win the "Best Hotelier" award at the Worldwide Hospitality Awards.