From dishwasher to CEO: How Dubai director dealt with toxic bosses and major health scare - The Hustle podcast

Dubai: Haitham Mattar’s story isn’t just about a rise to the top. The Managing Director of Middle East, Africa and Southwest Asia, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Mattar’s journey did not begin in the boardroom, but at the lowest rung of the hospitality ladder, where he earned his keep as a dishwasher.

Yet, even amidst the clatter of plates and the steam of a kitchen, Haitham held a fierce ambition. He understood that a job, no matter how humble, was a stepping stone, not a destination.

Today, he oversees a portfolio of 220 hotels (with 180 more in the pipeline) employing 24,000+ employees.  The group is positioned to double its regional presence in the next five years.

Mattar, who started his career washing dishes in an Atlanta hotel at the age of 17, had an ascent through the ranks that was anything but smooth. A journey, well-documented in his book Pots, Pans, and 5-Year Plans, began after his family moved to the US from Lebanon during the civil war when he was five years old.

He had to manage the expectations of ‘toxic bosses’, who tested his resolve at every turn, and navigate corporate politics to make it to the top.
Today, “a lot of things have changed,” Mattar shared with ‘The Hustle’ – powered by Jetex - a brand-new podcast from Gulf News.

Then came the ultimate test: a major health scare that threatened to derail everything. This wasn’t a career hurdle; it was a personal crisis that put his life in perspective. Lying in a hospital bed, far from the pressures of work, Haitham was forced to confront his own mortality. He had to stop and re-evaluate his priorities. The experience became his great equaliser.

“You get the shock… I am indestructible, invincible, I’m strong. Suddenly, you sit with the doctor who tells you that you have to go under the knife, and you have a 50-50 per cent chance. I spent the whole night in the hospital researching and thinking about how it could happen to me,” explained Mattar.

“But I immediately shifted to ‘we’re going to go through with this’. I went through this process, going in thinking a 50-50 per cent chance. My mind was focused on the 50 coming back,” he added.

Emerging from this period, Haitham was a changed man. He no longer viewed his role as just a job, but as an opportunity to build a culture of respect and support—a direct response to the toxic environments he once navigated.

He led with compassion, understanding the quiet struggles of his team because he had experienced them firsthand. Learn all about Haitham Mattar’s journey on the latest episode of ‘The Hustle’.

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