<B>A multi-cultural manager</B>

After having worked in various hospitality departments, Sjefke is today the head of world-class Oberoi hotel. He does not intend to sit and relax; actually he has a lot of plans…

He arrived in Mauritius in mid-January. Sjefke Jansen is here as general manager of the Oberoi hotel in Pointe-aux-Piments. After working in several countries, Sjefke lives as a man with several cultures imprinted in him.

Commenting this aspect, he explained the philosophy he has developed: “I have travelled so extensively that I have been exposed to so many different cultures wherever I have been. For example, the Lebanese are very different from the Saudis, the Singaporeans are different from the Moldavians and the Mauritians are very different from all these cultures. So what I have tried to do is to adapt myself to each culture. Some expatriates find it difficult to adapt themselves in some places. I personally try to avoid that. I am here to bring ideas for the country and for my hotel.”

Sjefke started his professional career as a trained international chef. Once his training was completed, he left the kitchen to try every department in the field of hospitality. He then started to travel: Sydney in Australia, Cape Town in South-Africa for three years and then Saudi Arabia where he worked for two and a half years as assistant food and beverage manager of an American hotel called Rosewood. His itinerary was far from over as he travelled to other countries such as Lebanon and Singapore. Before coming to Mauritius, he even went to the Maldives for some three years. There, he worked for a hotel belonging to a famous company.

Friendliness and open-mindedness are his tarde-marks. He speaks three languages: German, English and Dutch. However, he does not intend to leave Mauritius without knowing a fourth language such as French or even Creole.

Playing squash is his main hobby as it fits well in his busy working schedule. What he likes most about this sport, is that it exhausts him in a very short time. He loves listening to classical music even if he is in his office. He listens to all kind of classical music such as piano concertos, symphonies or operas. He also loves driving.

But Sjefke cannot talk about his hobby without mentioning his family, and what he likes doing when he is with his family. “The most important thing in my life is my family. I get only one day’s rest every week from my work. And I love spending every minute of that day with my family. That day with my family also helps me to recharge my batteries to get back to work on the next day. On that day, I just take my family out to visit the island. One of the places I like the most is Grand-Bassin. It is such a highly spiritual place. ”

Sjefke was born in 1964 in Heidelberg, in Germany. However, he has Dutch nationality as his father was from Holland. He married Michalle, whom he met in Singapore. He now has two daughters: Alyssa and Lara. They live in Grand-Bay. Over there he enjoys going to the beach, restaurants and sometimes he goes out for some shopping.

When he talks about his future, Sjefke does not want to leave Mauritius. According to him, it is much too early to talk about leaving the country that he has already fallen in love with. “Mauritius is such a fantastic island.”

Moreover, he has many plans here on the professional side. Indeed, he is planning the construction of a new Oberoi hotel. This would ensure that he has some more time on the island as he would like…