"It was a new world to me," McGrath says.  "I enjoyed working and collaborating with people and was fortunate enough to have good mentors and leaders.  I soon started a management traineeship and was able to learn all facets of the industry in an accelerated way."

McGrath,  the chief operating officer of Accor Pacific,  oversees more than 250 hotels.

What  has kept him in the field all these  years is the diversity of roles in the industry, the opportunity to travel (he has worked  in Asia as well as many states in Australia) and the teamwork that hospitality is known for.
"You're working in the service industry; you either love it or hate it," he says.

Given that Accor  has  more than 10,000 staff across Australia, and plans to up  its staffing requirements by 20 per cent to service 14 new hotels, McGrath always has hiring on his mind.

"Given the speed at which hospitality continues to grow we recognised that we needed a range of executive resources and people from diverse backgrounds. We've [now] embarked on  10 years of diversity programs in gender and race," he says.

McGrath says almost 38 per cent of Accor's general managers are female (up from  10 per cent five years ago) and 5  per cent of employees are Indigenous Australians.

"We've been in that space for 14 years and had a  reconciliation plan for five years  – we're recognised by the government as doing that," he says.

McGrath says his own approach to staffing is one of fair trade.
"If they give their best and genuinely try as hard as they can, and contribute, then we try to provide them and their families with some sort of security and safety in employment in a world that is changing very rapidly," he says.

And when that world gets complicated? "I just sit back and ask myself what the right thing is to do.  Generally that guides you in the right direction."

CURRICULUM VITAE

Name: Simon McGrath

Current position: Chief operating officer of Accor Pacific

Responsibilities: Responsible for more than  200 hotels in every state and territory of Australia (covering all market sectors from Luxury Sofitel to economy ibis hotels), 33,000 rooms and 10,000 employees in the Pacific region. Simon is based in the Australia head office in Sydney.

Education: Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview

Professional associations: Director of AAPC Limited; director of Accor Vacation Club (AVC); director for Reef Casino Trust; deputy chairman of Tourism and Transport Forum (TTF); independent director of Genesis Care; Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School Industry Advisory Board.

Honourable mentions: Hotelier of the Year, HM Awards, 2009; Gold Bernache, Global Accor award for Performance, 2012.

Strength: When in doubt, I try to do what's right, all the time.

Weakness: I never listen enough; I try to listen more but through enthusiasm and wanting to get things done I sometimes move too fast and that's not always fair on people.  Speed can impact on many things if you're not conscious of it.

Management style and tips: If you offer the hand of generosity, it augers well. I also try  to make sure people get opportunities.

Work motto: I'm much more comfortable talking about the company, but my motto is that I think every day is going to be exciting. I genuinely do.