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Human Resources / Recruiting, Coaching, General Management, Consumer Goods / FMCG
United Arab Emirates
English, Swedish
Multinational (>1000)
C-level executive
available for this batch
“Stay curious, stay adaptable, and growth will follow.”
Marie-Louise can support with:
Marie-Louise's work experience:
Marie-Louise Ek leads Hilton’s human resources function and drives the company’s award-winning people and culture strategy across the Middle East & Africa, where Hilton currently employs close to 30,000 Team Members across its over 120 hotels in the region.
A graduate of Lund University in her native Sweden, Marie-Louise has more than 20 years’ experience in the human capital space, and prior to joining Hilton in September 2022, has worked with several Fortune 500 companies in multiple industries across four continents.
Her career to date includes a range of senior management roles, including a decade with Swedish technology group and HR transformation pioneers Sandvik. In over 15 years spent working in the Middle East and Africa, Marie-Louise has led human resources for global logistics giant Maersk, overseen cultural transformation at Bridgestone, led workforce optimization for emerging markets at Coty Professional Beauty (now Wella Company), and drove the HR strategy for the franchise business arm of PepsiCo.
In addition to a B.S.c in social sciences, Ek is a Certified Executive Coach (University of Reading).
In her free time, Marie-Louise enjoys cooking, running, gardening and reading. She lives in Dubai with her husband, Dragan, and daughter, Anabella.
Marie-Louise is open for:
build a network for a lifetime.
STILL FEELING LOST?
Check out our FAQ below or drop us a line, we're answering all your questions.
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Does the mentoring program cost anything?Nope - but you do have to be an inner circle member at the female factor. The membership starts at 1 € a day. For more info visit our membership page.
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Can I apply for more than one mentor?Yes, you can apply for up to three mentors. Please note, every mentor requires a personalized motivation letter.
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I'm having trouble deciding who to apply for, how do you pick a good mentor?That all depends on your career goals for the upcoming months- so ask yourself where do you want to be in half a year or year from now. Do you want to expand your company in a certain field? Start your own company? Or side business? Do you want to gain a particular skill set? Or maybe you want to move up within your corporation? Choosing a good mentor FOR YOU depends on a lot of things. But we’ve seen that a good mentor mentee relationship and successful outcomes mainly depends on good chemistry aka. you two get along and that the person can give you relevant advice and know-how that will help to excel in YOUR personal career. So ask yourself: “Will I vibe well with this person?” “How is their career and experience relevant to mine?” “How will it help me get to where I want to be in a certain period of time?” "How could my mentor actually benefit from my knowhow and skillset?"
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How long is the mentoring program?The official mentoring period is for half a year. The current spring batch 2025 is running until November 2025. The autumn batch 2025 will run from October 28, 2025 through April 27, 2026. Applications for the upcoming autumn 2025 batch will open on September 2nd. However, some of the mentors will still be happy to support you after that period or even become friends.
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Can I apply for a mentor who lives in another city?Absolutely. We encourage you to apply for mentors in other cities as well, especially if you have a certain goal, eg. expanding or establishing a business there or looking for a job in another country or if you're eager to get to know another culture.
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How can I become a mentor myself?If you feel you would be a good fit, you can reach out to us here.