My Story
Learning from the floor
I began in cafés and bars in Serbia, where hospitality was immediate and personal. You learned to read the room, find your rhythm and pay attention. How someone was welcomed, how a drink arrived, how a difficult moment was handled—all of it shaped whether they came back.
That experience has stayed with me throughout my career.
Moving to Dubai brought me into a different scale of hospitality. At Madinat Jumeirah, and later Kempinski, I became involved in openings, beverage operations and the work of bringing a concept to life.
There is something particularly absorbing about an opening. Every decision eventually meets reality: the menu, the bar layout, the preparation, the people. Once the doors open, they all have to work together.
I found that I enjoyed the responsibility as much as the atmosphere.
Behind the experience
As my responsibilities grew, more of my work happened behind the scenes.
Building teams. Preparing service. Working with suppliers. Setting standards that people could understand and use during a busy shift.
Across hotels, restaurants and nightlife, I came to appreciate the connection between a well-supported team and a well-run operation. People need clarity, preparation and someone who will take responsibility alongside them.
My approach remains hands-on. I want to understand how the work happens, where it becomes difficult and what would help people do it better.
That is where I feel most useful: close enough to the operation to understand it, with enough perspective to move it forward.
A wider view of the business
Moving into distribution opened another side of the industry.
At Fresh Express, I brought my experience of using and serving products into the work of developing brands and categories. I understood the questions behind a buying decision: Will this work on the menu? Can the team use it confidently? Will the supply be reliable? Will the guest come back for it?
Working with producers, hospitality operators and their teams gave me a broader understanding of how a product earns its place in a market.
Training, tastings and conversations on the ground became an important part of that work. So did listening. The response from a bartender, chef or buyer can tell you a great deal about what needs to happen next.
I enjoy making those connections—and staying involved as an introduction becomes a working relationship.
Closer to the source
My work with truffles and specialist ingredients brought me closer to the beginning of that journey.
Through sourcing in Serbia and working with chefs in the UAE, I became involved in the details that determine whether a delicate product reaches the kitchen as it should: selection, handling, storage, timing and communication.
It also deepened my appreciation for the people at both ends of the supply chain. A relationship with a hunter or producer requires care and consistency, just as a relationship with a chef does.
Your reputation travels with what you deliver.
What connects it all
The settings have changed throughout my career, but the work has remained connected.
I enjoy recognising potential, understanding what stands in its way and bringing the right people together to move it forward. Sometimes that means opening a venue. Sometimes it means developing a category, supporting a team or improving the way an operation runs.
I am at my best where there is something to build, fix or grow.
I bring a practical understanding of hospitality, a commercial perspective and a willingness to stay close to the work.
