Meet the N$100-million-dollar lady

Katriena Hoeses is Okaukuejo's resort manager, and her love for the Etosha National Park is what makes her stand out from the crowd.Having started her career as a resort officer at Namutoni at the inception of Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR), one can see why Kate, as her colleagues call her, has a soft spot for the Etosha National Park. Her hard work and efforts did not go unnoticed, and her manager offered her a three-year bursary to study at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST), then known as the Polytechnic of Namibia.What has kept her in love with the tourism industry is the joy she derives from being of service to others.“I love my job because I am one of those people who want to help and please my guests or anyone in need of assistance. When I see a guest or a visitor around the resort in need of assistance, I always go out of my way to put a smile on their face because to me that is the primary purpose of my job. Waving goodbye to a guest leaving the resort satisfied and assuring a repeat of business has always been the highlight of my job,” she says.As it is with every job, Hoeses does face challenges. “Visitors can sometimes require a lot from you, but having been in the industry for so long, I have picked up different skills and strategies to calm any situation and turn dissatisfied guests into happy guests.” She has learned that to be successful in the service industry, one needs a strong sense of professionalism and a willingness to go above and beyond to provide excellent service. The support of her team makes it easy to do what she loves.Two events stand out as milestones in her career. The first one was in May 2015, when Okaukuejo was awarded a floating trophy for the resort with the best financial performance. The cherry on the cake was the 2015/16 financial year, when Okaukuejo generated N$100 million in revenue for the first time in its history. She feels that it was a financial milestone reached for the whole organisation and that's why she dedicated this achievement to the entire NWR team. “I have a lot of stories to tell and want to inspire everyone out there,” Hoeses says. She adds that she owes a great deal of gratitude to the current and past leadership of NWR that has played a role in her success.STAFF REPORTER

Meet the N$100-million-dollar lady

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-08

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Meet the N$100-million-dollar lady

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-08

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