THE FCSI INTERVIEW


OUT OF OFFICE “I have very few hobbies these days because I have a four-year-old and a 10-year- old, but when I do find the time, I truly love watching a good series, like Breaking Bad,” says Yarman. She also loves a live gig and is an avid reader, particularly of leadership books, while also embarking on a mission to get her kids into boardgames.


PRIDE IN PROJECTS In her own words, Melissa Yarman FCSI reflects on some of the most meaningful projects she has worked on throughout her career.


CITYPLAZA HOTEL (EAST HONG KONG), HONG KONG


Over time, Yarman gained


clarity on what a membership community like FCSI could mean for business, and how it could create an impact. “Having a community of people who all believe in the same principles, in a vision or a mission, is extremely powerful,” she says. “It gives clients confidence, and memberships, I believe, are peer reviewed, so that credibility and trust can be established, which is critical to maintaining standards across the industry.” For Yarman, credibility is


earned “through consistency and the quality of one’s output” – a view that has shaped her career as a woman in a typically male- dominated industry in a very practical way: “In a technical, fast-paced environment, where decisions carry operational and commercial consequences, there is little room for ambiguity,” she notes. Rather than relying on


perception or assumption, Yarman prioritizes an astute focus on substance,


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“Having a community of people who believe in the same vision and mission is extremely powerful”


“understanding the operational brief in depth, anticipating risks early, and ensuring that what is designed can perform in real-world conditions”, she says. “Over time, this builds trust, and trust is what sustains long-term professional relationships in this industry.” For women entering


foodservice consultancy, her advice would be “to focus on becoming exceptional at what you do,” she concludes. “Be so competent that people have no choice but to listen to you. In this field, it is ultimately capability, clarity, and consistency that define your progression.”


When I first joined CKP, some time ago, I picked up a project lead role for a smaller project in Hong Kong, the Cityplaza Hong Kong (now called EAST Hong Kong). That was when I learned that not specifying the right opening of the blast chiller, for example, would have a big impact on how you access and operate the unit. That project was quite defining for me; I was fresh out of school and still learning the ropes. It was an intense city project, so I learned a lot about designing in 3D, as well as the importance of being part of the solution.


THE ST. REGIS, DOWNTOWN DUBAI The first master planning role that I had to fulfil was the St. Regis in Business Bay. This was originally an apartment building, which we converted into a Renaissance, so everything was already built, and we had to rethink delivery, food delivery, and waste removal. I learned a lot from this project.


From top: St Regis, Downtown Dubai; The Line, Saudi Arabia; Zuma restaurant, Abu Dhabi


THE LINE, NEOM, SAUDI ARABIA The Line challenged my ability to think beyond current constraints and design with a future-forward mindset. As part of the ideation team, we approached the concept by envisioning a hotel set in the future and then working backwards to define what would be required to make it operationally viable. It was like something out of a sci-fi flick. It was a very interesting project for me especially, and it really made me think differently about hotel operations. We were talking about blockchain technology for food supply, kinetic tiles to charge the robots. It was really interesting for me; I found it very exciting.


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