“My name is Marina Blezeau, I am currently Director of Human Resources for Vatel‘s establishments in Bordeaux, the school, the hotel and both restaurants. I have been working for Vatel Bordeaux for nine years. I first joined the school as a teacher in parallel to my job as Sales Director in a resort.
I became a full time Vatel Bordeaux employee in 2015, when we opened the “Les Chartrons” campus as Sales Manager on the MICE part of the hotel-restaurant. Then After 6 years, I became the Human Resources Director position in 2021. I am delighted to have had this evolution in the company as the position did not exist before. It is quite a tough position today because there is a shortage of employees in the hospitality & catering industry. Also, the post-Covid period is very complicated to manage humanly: each employee seeks a balance between their professional and personal lives. Everyone is searching for meaning at work. The sector is currently affected by this context.”
“Why did you choose Vatel Bordeaux?”
“I chose to work at Vatel Bordeaux because I have always worked in the world of hotels, restaurants and events. It was therefore natural for me to join Vatel Bordeaux when the hotel was built. Since then, I have been loyal to this company that knows how to adapt and where I have always found my balance.
What I enjoy most about my current role is being able to help the company get better, even if it is sometimes complicated. What I like least is the whole disciplinary part, but I don’t think there is some Human Resources Director who appreciates this aspect of the position. Since I am alone in this position, I deal with all the aspects: arrivals with hiring declarations, occupational medicine, insurance companies, recruitment interviews, training, disciplinary part, payroll that comes back every month.
My missions are so wide and varied that I do not see the time pass!”
“What relationships do you have with students?”
“Since I am on the HR position, it is more difficult to welcome students into my department because of the confidentiality. Nevertheless, I have been able to work with students on specific subjects (e.g., organising the Christmas tree, working on the Single Risk Assessment Document). I also have less contact with students because my office is not at the heart of the school.”
“In which job have you found the most fulfilment?”
“I enjoyed each of my jobs at Vatel Bordeaux. I loved teaching for the transmission and the contact with the students. Taking up my position as HR Director was complicated because of the post-Covid context, but it’s also an exciting challenge.”