Executive Profile • 2026
Hospitality • Service Excellence • Technology • Curriculum • Project Leadership
AYUB KATO
Managing Partner & Lead Consultant
Smiling Faces International (SFI)
Executive Summary
Ayub Kato is a hospitality, service-excellence and technology executive with more than 20 years of leadership experience across Africa and the United States. His career began as a Security Guard at Sheraton Kampala Hotel and progressed through hotel operations to General Manager-level leadership, including management experience with Marriott, Hilton and InterContinental properties in the United States.
As Managing Partner of Smiling Faces International, he works at the intersection of hospitality operations, customer experience, standards, curriculum development, training, technology-enabled service delivery, workforce development and organisational transformation. His portfolio includes executive and frontline capacity building, service audits and mystery shopping, operational consulting, digital-marketing curriculum development, HR and recruitment support, managed services, multi-country project leadership and sustainable livelihood skills development.
20+
Years of leadership experience
25+
Major startup, transition & programme projects
15+
African nations with project exposure
1,000+
Staff & consultants managed
Current Focus & Recent Achievements
2026 Continental Service Excellence Programme
Lead facilitator for the ARSO/Afreximbank programme. Sessions have been delivered in Dar es Salaam and Harare, with Accra scheduled for 7 October 2026.
Signature Service Frameworks
Creator of the S.T.A.R.S Leadership Framework and the Zero-Defect Room Inspection methodology for practical hospitality service delivery.
Technology, Workforce & Multi-country Operations
Project leadership spanning IT managed support services, contact-centre operations, HR capacity building, recruitment, technology deployment and cross-border coordination.
Curriculum, Standards & Advisory
Develops practical curricula and short courses while combining training with SOPs, audits, mystery/call shopping, operational reviews and management coaching.
Ayub Kato • Executive Profile
Smiling Faces International
Experience, Expertise & Delivery
Managing Partner & Lead Consultant
Smiling Faces International (SFI) • 2012–Present
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Hospitality Operations: Leads service-excellence training, hotel audits, mystery shopping, yield and revenue analysis, customer-service improvement and operational advisory.
- Capacity Building & Curriculum: Designs and facilitates practical programmes, short courses and curricula for frontline teams, supervisors, managers, institutions and workforce-development initiatives.
- Technology & Workforce Solutions: Supports managed services, hotel/CRM workflows, contact-centre operations, HR capacity building, headhunting, recruitment and technology-enabled operating improvements.
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Business Improvement: Works on recipe economics, food-waste reduction, service redesign, sales, marketing and profitability-focused operational controls.
Hospitality Leadership — United States
Selected Career Milestones
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General Manager • 2010: Comfort Inn / Holiday Inn Express (Baywood Hotels) — yield management, budgeting, sales, e-commerce, HR, payroll, asset management, compliance and renovations.
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Assistant GM / Regional Service Coach • 2007–2010: Hampton Inn BWI — operations, P&L oversight, recruitment, training, guest recovery and service-performance coaching across multiple hotels.
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Rooms & Housekeeping Leadership • 2004–2007: Residence Inn by Marriott and Hampton Inn BWI — front office, housekeeping, QA inspections, inventory, guest service and team development.
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Career Foundation: Began in hospitality at Sheraton Kampala Hotel and completed management training at Kenya Utalii College.
Technology & International Project Leadership
Computer Frontiers & International Assignments
- John Hopkins University / Computer Frontiers: Project Lead for IT managed support services across Africa.
- Google Fiber: Project leadership in Uganda and Ghana spanning HR, administration, budgeting, training and market expansion.
- Kingdom of Lesotho: Led the team that developed and deployed the national e-Visa service and contact-centre operations.
- Fleet Management System (FMS): Project management, HR capacity building, headhunting and recruitment across Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia and Nigeria.
- Strategic Accounts: Account-management and operations exposure on assignments involving the U.S. Department of State, Shell Oil / HP Technical Outsourcing, Jhpiego and the United Nations.
Selected Project Portfolio
ARSO / Afreximbank • 2026
Service Excellence Standard Training: Tanzania and Zimbabwe delivered; Ghana scheduled.
CBI / Netherlands Trust Fund / Open Works
Digital Marketing Curriculum & Training Expert; contributor to Ukarim Academy.
Victoria University
Curriculum development and lead facilitation for short courses in Front Office, Housekeeping and Customer Service.
UNDP • South Sudan
Lead facilitator for sustainable livelihood skills development covering bakery, tailoring, poultry/chicken rearing and mixology/barista skills.
Ayub Kato • Executive Profile
Smiling Faces International
Selected Consulting, Training & Capacity-Building Engagements
A cross-sector portfolio spanning hospitality, banking, utilities, health, public institutions, security, workforce development and technology-enabled operations.
Bank of Uganda
Customer Service Excellence training.
National Water & Sewerage Corporation
Customer Excellence training and service-improvement support.
Uganda Private Security Association (TUPSA)
Lead Facilitator for hospitality and customer-service symposium engagements.
UGAFODE
Customer Service training.
AAR Health
Customer Service training.
Finance Trust Bank
Customer Service and call-centre operations training.
State House
Lead Facilitator for Housekeeping training.
Proheli International
Hospitality training and practical service-capability development.
Special Projects & Curriculum Development
Digital Marketing & Curriculum
CBI / Netherlands Trust Fund / Open Works
Digital Marketing Curriculum & Training Expert; contributor to Ukarim Academy.
Higher Education & Short Courses
Victoria University
Curriculum development and lead facilitation for short courses in Front Office, Housekeeping and Customer Service.
Human Capital & Multi-country Delivery
Fleet Management System (FMS)
HR capacity building, headhunting, recruitment and project management across Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia and Nigeria.
Sustainable Livelihoods
UNDP • South Sudan
Lead facilitator for Sustainable Livelihood Skills Development / SLST, including bakery, tailoring, poultry/chicken rearing and mixology/barista skills.
Sector Breadth
HospitalityBankingUtilitiesHealth
Public SectorSecurityTechnologyWorkforce Development
Ayub Kato • Executive Profile
Smiling Faces International
Global Reach, Education & Professional Leadership
Education & Professional Development
Makerere University
Bachelor of Arts in Catering & Hotel Management • 2003
Kenya Utalii College
Management Trainee • 2002
American Hospitality Academy, USA
Culture & Hospitality Ambassador • 2003
Leadership Roles & Affiliations
- Mukono Tourism and Hospitality Forum — Chairperson
- Hotel General Managers Association (HOGMAU) — Executive Member
- American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham)
- Association of Technology and Information Services (ATIS)
- Corporate Council on Africa (CCA)
- Africa Travel Association (ATA)
- Public Relations Association of Uganda (PRAU)
- Uganda Marketers Society (UMS)
- Uganda Business Process Outsourcing Association (UBPOA)
Selected Organisations & Recent Engagements
African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO)
Professional Networks & Affiliations
Service Excellence. Operational Discipline. Practical Impact.
Available for institutional training, hospitality advisory, service-quality audits, executive coaching, speaking engagements and technology-enabled service operations.
