Meet Hoda Tahoun | Executive Leadership Consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Hoda Tahoun and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hoda, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
Both my parents immigrated to the US from Egypt, but I was lucky enough to be born and raised here in the U.S. Because I grew up in a household with immigrant parents, they instilled some truly wonderful values from a young age. I grew up valuing working hard, learning and education, and constantly striving to achieve. My parents also taught me kindness, generosity, and how to be an active member of the community. These values are part of me today and at the core of how I define myself. I continue to find ways to learn in every aspect of my life – from learning a new language, taking on a new sport, to finding ways to give back to others. To me, generosity is not only financial but also it’s being generous with your time, generous with your network and connecting others who can benefit from one another, and being generous with giving your knowledge and insights to help others.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My entire career has been in professional services, but I pivoted to consulting in talent advisory about 12 years ago. When the global financial crisis hit, I was living and working in corporate finance in Dubai. Faced at that time with the loss of my job, I moved back to New York. Wall Street was still laying amidst layoffs and so I had to reinvent myself. Through a number of information interviews and introductions through my network, I got introduced to the world of executive recruitment. I began in a boutique firm, effectively starting from the ground up in a new field.

I worked hard to learn a new space and field of consulting and over the last 12 years, I’ve built my expertise in the Leisure & Hospitality space. I dug in and worked hard on projects, attended conferences to expand my network, and worked on ways to create value for clients so that I could build my personal brand.

Today, I am the Global Global Leisure & Hospitality Practice Leader at Russell Reynolds Associates, a leading global executive talent advisory firm. I have the privilege to work with Boards, CEOs and Executive Leadership Teams at companies in the leisure, hotel, cruise, travel world and provide advice on their global needs when it comes to executive talent. I am also the Wellbeing Officer for the Consumer Sector at Russell Reynolds Associates where I lead the discussion on how best to support clients on creating better working environments for their employees.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I have a list of really wonderful places to take visitors when they come to Miami. My favorite places include: Soho Beach House, Mandolin, Sea Spice, Moloko, Barceloneta, Amara, Sadelle’s, and The Standard Hotel & Spa.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Karina Gonzalez – the CEO & Founder of Future Self Journal.

Instagram: @hodatahoun

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hoda-tahoun/