GM Forum 2026 panel to explore how resort leaders build organisational resilience

What this panel is about

Who will speak

The session will be moderated by Ismail Maiz Mohamed of Hotelier Maldives. Confirmed panellists are:

• Mohamed Khaleel, Managing Director, Pulse Hotels & Resorts
• Mark Eletr, General Manager, Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort & Spa
• Abdulla Yasir, Managing Director and CEO, Visit Maldives

These contributors bring three practical vantage points: a Maldivian hospitality group managing multiple properties, an international-brand resort operator on the ground, and the country's tourism promotion agency.

Key issues on the agenda

The panel will examine specific operational and strategic pressures that affect resort businesses, including:

• Economic pressures and cash-flow impacts
• Shifts in source markets that change demand patterns
• Operational disruptions such as supply or service interruptions
• Workforce challenges including recruitment, retention and changing employee expectations

Speakers will discuss how leaders can keep service standards and business priorities intact while adapting to rapid change.

Leadership and organisational response

A central thread of the discussion is leadership practice during uncertainty. The session will explore how management teams should:

• Communicate with employees to maintain confidence
• Make timely decisions under pressure
• Preserve operational continuity and service standards

Panelists will also look beyond immediate crises to longer-term planning: strengthening internal systems, building adaptable teams and designing management structures that allow faster, clearer responses to future disruptions.

Why the mix of perspectives matters

Bringing ownership, operational and national-promotion viewpoints together creates a practical picture of how external market developments interact with day-to-day resort operations. Khaleel's ownership perspective, Eletr's operational viewpoint at an international-brand resort, and Yasir's view of market and policy dynamics aim to connect strategy with on-the-ground execution.

Event context and logistics

The session is part of the 10th Hotelier Maldives GM Forum on 5 October 2026 at CROSSROADS Maldives. The forum theme is "Resilience and Reinvention: Talent, Technology & Transformation," and it is designed for general managers, owners, senior executives, government representatives and industry partners.

Premier and event partners named for the forum include Dhiraagu (Premier Sponsor) and STO Energy (Platinum Sponsor). Additional partners listed are Bank of Maldives (Banking Partner), Dhivehi Insurance (Insurance Partner), Male' Aerated Water Company (Beverage Partner), Maldives Airports Company Limited, Villa Hakatha, Bestbuy Maldives, Atoll Solar, ALIA, Uniforms Unlimited, Maldives Insider, Blue N White, Souvenir Marine, Manta Air and Storm Events.

Practical takeaway

The panel aims to move beyond high-level theory to discuss operational choices leaders can make now: clearer communication protocols, contingency-ready management structures, investment in adaptable teams and internal systems that reduce downtime when shocks occur. Attendees should expect a mix of strategic and operational examples tied to the Maldivian resort context.