Based in Dubai, Tim Cordon is responsible for leading hotel operations and delivering business growth and profit across the group’s largest area, with over 100 hotels in operation and over 80 hotel projects in the development pipeline. A British National, he began his progressive career in the UK where his first General Manager position was at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Manchester Airport which, at the time was Rezidor’s largest hotel in the UK and where he successfully positioned the hotel in Rezidor’s top 20 performing hotels worldwide. He went on to hold leadership positions in two of the group’s key properties in London, Radisson Blu Portman Hotel and Radisson Blu Hotel Stansted Airport.
He briefly left the group to become General Manager of the Cumberland Hotel in London, before returning as the General Manager of the Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek. In 2015, he was promoted to Regional Director Middle East & Turkey.
Tim holds a degree from Nottingham Trent University in Mechanical Engineering and Design and Technology, including qualified teacher status. In 2006, Cordon entered the British Hospitality Hall of Fame, with the Alpha Forum Prize –“Young Manager” award. Tim has secured a spot in the top 5 of Hotelier Middle East’s Power 50 list for two consecutive years.
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Below, Men’s Health spoke with Cordon about how he finds balance, working for the Radisson Group and his passion for cycling.
Men’s Health: How do you take care of your mental well-being?
It’s a great question. Not that I want to over-generalize but men always have this perception that we need to keep going and tough it out. I always encourage people to do what I have done throughout my career, which is to be honest with yourself even when you are struggling. The way I go through it is basically realization about what you are going through, spending time with yourself and using tools or strategies to seek help. Time for yourself is super important and for me, I do that through cycling. That is my quiet moment which I use to reflect and recentre myself.
Take us through your love for cycling
I have been riding bikes ever since I was a kid. I have done BMX and mountain bike racing. Eventually, that stayed with me and now I do quite a lot of road and mountain biking. From a personal point of view, it can be anything you want it to be. I love the fact that you don’t need a lot of preparation, you can just go out and cycle with your friends or even on your own. For me, it clears your head and puts a lot of things in perspective.
Do you consider cycling as part of your self-care?
Yes, it’s a great stress reliever. I love my job and being home with my kids and wife but sometimes you just need something for yourself and being on the bike is that for me.
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How do you find balance?
First of all, you have to compromise. You have to create priorities and be good with them. With the line of work that I do, I get to travel and travel is definitely a blessing and it can also be a curse. Because when you travel you get an opportunity to focus on something different and it is a great experience broadly. But it requires quite a lot of discipline. So what that entails, I know when I am travelling I don’t get to cycle a lot so the different Radisson hotels offer gyms where I can get to spend time there and exercise. I would say prioritisation and discipline are what will assist in finding balance.
What do you love about working for the Radisson Group?
I have been with the Radisson Group for over 20 years and I love the fact that they are a company that values both people as a group and people as individuals. The Radisson Group is extremely ethical, very caring, and has a people-first mentality. That is what I look for in an organisation. The company is class-leading in the hospitality industry and we operate in an ethical and sustainable way. We also have a great selection of wonderful hotels that people can visit in South Africa.
What are you grateful for?
My children, my wife and the people I work with every day because we have a very diverse team that does amazing work throughout.
