Didier Jardin

Four Seasons Resorts Kuda Huraa has appointed Didier Jardin, a hospitality veteran who has been with the Four Seasons since 1994, as the resort's new General Manager. Born in La Ferte Bernard, France, this sailor, diver and fire fighter, this sky diver and adrenaline-junkie's formative years were spent in France's Loire Valley, a region known for its extraordinary castles and for its Sancerre and Pouilly Fume wines.

With the epiphany that a career in hospitality would afford him the chance to see the world, he commenced a two-year apprenticeship to become a fine-dining waiter, then moved to Paris to practice his craft. He spent three years studying hotel management earning a CFA Food and Beverage Diploma, from Chartres, France and a Hotel Management Diploma, Lasalle College, Montreal. "After graduation, marriage and three cold winters, we were craving a warmer life. Somewhere with waterfalls, beaches and rainforest," Didier recalls. His wife and he packed backpacks and a tent - "as a back-up in case money ran out" - and flew to Hawaii. It was a bold move. "I applied everywhere in the islands and got offers from a Mexican restaurant on the beach and Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea. Looking back, I made the right choice," he says with a smile.

Nearly three decades later, Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa is Didier's tenth Four Seasons posting. From the beaches of Santa Barbara, Bora Bora, Mauritius and Hualalai to the cityscapes of New York, Cairo and Chicago - the birthplace of his twin daughters - he is well on his way to achieving his goal of working for Four Seasons in every region where the brand operates.