Steve Chumba is the General Manager for a top hotel in Azerbaijan, a country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia.
Chumba who got the opportunity through LinkedIn noted that working and living in Azerbaijan is something that never crossed his mind.
Interestingly, he landed the job despite not having an educational background in hospitality.
Here is his story as told by WoK.
Wyndham Garden
Steve Chumba works as the General Manager at Wyndham Garden, one of the top global chains in Azerbaijan.
The hotel is under Wyndham Hotel and Resorts which has over 24 brands and over 9,000 hotels in the world.
He was born and bred in Elgeyo Marakwet County where he would help his parents around the farm while growing up.
After completion of his secondary school education, he proceeded to Makerere University where he pursued a course in IT.
While in Uganda, he engaged in part-time jobs which included working as a doorman for a local hotel in Kampala.
Following his graduation from the university, he looked for an IT job but he was not successful forcing him to turn to other options.
Chumba decided to focus on his job at the hotel which later saw him rise from a doorman to a night receptionist.
“While I was studying IT, I got an opportunity to study at a hotel, after finishing my studies, I decided to just continue with my hospitality,” he said.
Chumba later earned a promotion and worked as a supervisor, before rising through the ranks to work as a front office manager.
In an interview with Chams Media, he noted that he eventually earned himself a spot at the top after being hired as the hotel manager.
While serving at the position, Chumba said he was contacted directly by Wyndham Garden via LinkedIn with the General Manager job offer.
“I was a bit curious about this country because it was new to me. I did my research and felt that it was an adventure I could take,” he said.
He said an opportunity to work outside Africa was a win for him as it would raise his profile in the vast hospitality industry.
“Getting an opportunity outside Africa would also raise my profile in the hospitality industry and gave me the opportunity to work in a different environment and type of market,” Chumba said.
At the hotel, Chumba is in charge of staffing, revenue management and marketing among other responsibilities.
“I have a team, for me is to guide the team and make sire that they do what is required to do. I give support where I’m needed to give,” he said.
He is currently taking a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management at the International University of applied sciences in Germany.
