Hans Haensel certainly has a lot to think about. The man who started life as a travel rep in Spain is responsible for the operations of Emirates Holidays, Emirates Hotels & Resorts, Arabian Adventures and Congress Solutions International (CSI).

Revenue in Hansel’s division is set to grow by 60% over the next five years. Amongst his key objectives are to ensure the smooth opening of new hotels in the group’s portfolio and establish Arabian Adventures in other parts of the world.

An ongoing challenge for him and his colleagues is recruitment. The division has 17,000 staff and needs to take on 4000 more, while persuading agents to sell new destinations and travel experiences to their customers is also an issue. That’s a lot of responsibility for a man who only wanted to be a postman as a boy.