Ultimate leaders programme
Meet the ULp of the year!
Legends sits down with the Ultimate Leaders Programme award winner for 2023: Juliette Tanazacq, F&B customer relations coordinator at Le Meurice
The Ultimate Leaders Programme (ULP) is Dorchester Collection’s unique management training scheme. During this bespoke 12-to-24-month programme, participants have the opportunity to develop their leadership skills, experience multiple departments through different rotations, lead ambitious projects and build strong relationships within their hotels and across the Collection. Each year, Dorchester Collection selects the top performing ULP for the annual values awards.
The winner for 2023 is Juliette Tanazacq from Le Meurice. Juliette was born and raised in the Champagne region of France and went on to graduate with a degree in F&B entrepreneurship from the prestigious Ferrandi school. After four years as the right hand of an esteemed Parisian chef, joining the ULP was a major shift for Juliette, which meant returning to a palace hotel in an operational position. Since joining the F&B team at Le Meurice in September 2022, Juliette worked across various F&B outlets for six months in customer relations before spending the following six months as assistant manager. Thanks to these experiences, and under the guidance and direction of her leaders and mentors, Juliette was able to improve her management style and develop her passion for creating memorable moments for guests.
“The programme helped me to learn more about my personality and my professional goals”
“I learned a lot about my management style,” says Juliette. “The programme really helped me define and develop it to make me and my team more efficient. But the programme also helped me to learn more about my personality and my professional goals. Ultimately, it has changed the way I work.”
Part of that change came from switching priorities from herself to the team. “I learned that by taking the time to train a brand-new team I was actually saving a lot of time to focus on my own tasks, without struggling to complete my to-do list,” Juliette explains. “The first priority became having an efficient team and, by doing that, I could give them more freedom and the ability to be more proactive, and that saved time for me.”
The Ultimate Leaders Programme also includes a week of intensive training in Montreux, Switzerland, where ULPs from all Dorchester Collection hotels meet to learn leadership and change management skills.
“That was one of the highlights of the programme,” says Juliette. “Obviously, the view of Lake Geneva is wonderful, but the best part was meeting colleagues from all over the world, from different cultures, all doing the same programme. It was great to share our challenges and hear each other’s opinions and solutions – it was very inspiring.”
Restaurant le Meurice Alain Ducasse
Restaurant le Meurice Alain Ducasse
Participants in the Ultimate Leaders Programme have both a mentor from another department and a buddy from a previous intake to help guide them through their journey. Juliette’s advice to others embarking on the programme is to make full use of the resources available.
“The people supervising you have high-quality, professional experience, so don’t hesitate to glean everything you can get from them,” says Juliette. “Most of all, be open and listen. Ask them what they think about your work. Sometimes you’ll be pleased to hear you’re doing a good job and at other times you’ll be thankful to know what changes can help you to grow faster.”
“The people supervising you have high-quality, professional experience, so don’t hesitate to glean everything you can get from them”
Being part of the Ultimate Leaders Programme is a huge achievement for all those who gain a place but, for Juliette, it was the icing on the cake when she was named the 2023 winner out of the entire intake.
“I was very honoured to receive the award,” she says. “It really made me appreciate the chance I had to learn from such a wonderful team of people and meet Dorchester Collection expectations. I’m so grateful for what the programme and this year at Le Meurice have given me in terms of my professional and personal achievements.”