TANEEK Patten is walking along a steady path towards success and no obstacle whether big or small, can get in her way. The route she daily traverses is that of soft sands, winding walkways and flights of stairs leading to 360 luxurious rooms. This she does effortlessly, selling the wonders of a European-style haven to travel agents and visitors alike.

The 24-year-old Aquarian started her tenure at Sandals Whitehouse European Village and Spa in 2009 as a concierge (now Club Sandals) agent, giving of her time to totally pampering and pleasing her guests from check-in until departure. After two years in that capacity and numerous awards, a testament to a job well done, Patten was offered the position of junior sales executive. There she, under the tutelage of the director of sales and the senior sales executive, effectively co-ordinated the day-to-day tasks of the sales office.

Her new role saw her hosting and providing logistic support for groups and group events as well as helping to increase resort sales through special requests and promotions. She also had to sell her resort which involved conducting property tours among other administrative duties.

Comfortably settling into her new position, Patten happened upon a new challenge where she had to act the role of sales supervisor after the then senior sales executive left the company. Her portfolio got much larger with her having to network more with more travel agents, a fear she admitted to as she always thought herself as too shy to effectively influence so many agents to send their clients to Sandals Whitehouse. She also had the added task of supervising a team of two with an occasional intern and trainee in the office.

Patten took to the challenge and was doing a superb job, but again the spotlight was turned on her when her director of sales went on vacation and company business for a few weeks. She found herself managing the sales office and dealing with even larger groups directly.

“I was a little apprehensive then as I was never fully involved in the major elements in handling big groups, meeting with the leaders and carrying out their daily itineraries,” she said. “What really gave me the confidence was the support of the entire team, from management to line team members who respected my decisions and I think I did quite well.”

She clearly did a good job captaining the sales ship over that period and now proudly wears the title of senior sales executive after acting in the position for eight months.

“Those eight months were defining moments in my career where I understood even more the value of team work,” she said. “I have improved leaps and bounds when it comes to public speaking, sharing creative ideas and overcoming my penchant to shy moments when I’m dealing with a lot of persons at once. It has become quite normal now for me to loudly and boldly sell Sandals Whitehouse as the ‘Jewel of the South’ and share all the must-see sights in our neck of the woods.”

According to Director of Sales Jeffrey Burke, Patten is a real gem and he is very happy to watch her development first hand.

“I can share that I am very proud of Taneek. Her willingness to learn and apply her knowledge to the tasks and initiatives is admirable,” he said.

“Taneek has progressed into her new role as a supervisor with great drive and enthusiasm which she passes on to the rest of the team.”