Hajo and Rose von Keller are partners in more ways than one. Joint Managing Directors and owners of the Mangosteen Resort and Spa, its resounding success owes everything to the palpable rapport that exists between husband and wife. To meet them is to bear witness to a serene and creative relationship at work.
Though Rose comes from an affluent and successful family, she has constantly sought new challenges. Born in Chiang Rai, her education took her to Bangkok where she attended Vittayanukorn and St Theresa Colleges, majoring respectively in Hotel and Tourism and Business Administration. She went on to graduate from UTCC (University of Thai Chamber of Commerce), before specialising in Spa Management at Bangkok’s celebrated Mahidol University.
Her professional career has been remarkable for its breadth and variety. Starting as a secretary in 1991, her obvious talents meant rapid promotion with a range of companies, including The Mandarin Oriental in Koh Samui and The Colony Resort in Kamala. After a foray into real estate and property development here in Phuket, she spent seven years in publishing and event planning with Artasia Press as sales manager. No wonder her English is impeccable. Rose met Hajo in March 2004 and joined forces one year later. The rest, as they say, is history.
Like Rose, Hajo hails from a privileged and entrepreneurial background – his father ran a successful sports equipment company in Munich, Bavaria – but his route to commercial success has been very different. He remembers a thriving business environment at home with his father presiding over meetings; it seemed only natural that he would follow his father and brother into the company. An epiphany of sorts occurred when Hajo came to Bangkok in 1997 to be nearer the main manufacturing base in China, and paid the inevitable visit to Phuket. His father, who had always encouraged his son’s independence and imaginative outlook, suggested that Hajo should consider starting up a new project in this promising environment. The result? The birth of The Mangosteen Resort and Spa.
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