The Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Catering and Support Services LLC (GCSS), Rami Suleiman, has experienced an unorthodox career. It is not a cronyism nepotism shortcut or linear career to the executive suite. Rather, his rise in the corporate world is one of grit, humility, and passion for learning from the bottom up.
Prior to joining in his current position as CEO, Rami’s initial leadership experience was via internship at Spinneys Abu Dhabi. As much as his father at that time was a high-level leader, Rami yearned to prove himself on his own terms. He began as a merchandiser cash van and gained first-hand experience with the back-end of companies from ground up—amongst providers, logistics people, and customers. It shaped the basis of a leadership character of duty, hard work, and compassion.
Subsequent to that, when once more during 2008–2009 there was a crisis, Rami worked with a hotel sales and marketing expert. He witnessed crisis leadership up close. A decade or so after that, when he was General Manager during the days of COVID-19, he would be dealing with another fortress-in-a storm scenario—decisions that would decide his organization’s destiny and existence.
His initiation to food and catering services was thoughtful and cautious. Beginning as part of the procurement group, he was exposed to extensive exposure of the role of market forces in finance and purchasing. His five-year operations’ experience—eventually Director, later GM—polished his ability to function under pressure. With GCSS’s transition away from multinational ownership and into private ownership, Rami was left in charge of its future as CEO. That trust hadn’t been put on seniority alone, however, but on decades of shared adversity, determination, and consequence.
Leadership Under Emergence: Micromanaging to Empowering
Today, Rami describes his style as visionary, open-minded, and extremely people oriented. Early on, when the firm was in its most precarious financial condition, Rami was a micromanager—unintentionally, not by inclination. “I had to know every moving piece, every risk,” he remembers. That close-up approach steadied the company. Once the foundation was well set, however, Rami felt that it was time to construct.
He transitioned from command-and-control to trust-and-verify. Now, his leadership is cooperation and intimacy. He works intentionally for a flat organization so that he does not have people in between him and his inner-circle players. Daily interactions with department heads, brainstorming, and a culture of accountability to each other ensure alignment is never lost even when the company expands.
What makes Rami stand out is that he does not want to lead from behind. He wants to “walk beside” his team, independent but guided. His style of leadership does not only create managers—his style creates leaders.
Decisions Based on Values
In a world where uncertainty is the sole certainty, Rami has three values close to his heart whenever he makes difficult choices: patience, decisiveness, and empathy.
Patience allows for clarity and prevents reactive moves. Decisiveness ensures momentum, even when a decision may be imperfect. And empathy—perhaps the most underappreciated leadership tool—grounds Rami’s leadership in humanity. “Business doesn’t have to be cutthroat to be successful,” he says. “I sleep better knowing that.”
This holy trinity of values teaches not just top-down corporate change, but daily decision—down to vendor relationships and employee development initiatives. His head and heart strengths, conviction and compassion, is what inspires culture at GCSS.
Trust, Loyalty, and the Power of Shared History
One of the greatest aspects of GCSS with Rami at the helm is how much everyone feels trusted and loyal across the firm. This isn’t a happenstance—it’s earned.
Rami is a leader by example, and he teaches through doing every task himself. With the exception of some new recruits, most of his current staff have been with him more than ten years, riding economic slack, a global pandemic, and thorough restructuring programs along with him. With them, he has hardened a hundred-fold in the office compound.
Because Rami himself rose through operations, there’s an innate respect for the work his teams do. “I’ve stood where they stand,” he says. “That understanding builds trust that no policy can replicate.” To him, loyalty isn’t a transaction—it’s a relationship.
This commitment to long-term partnerships is also reflected in GCSS’s client relationships, many of which have lasted for years. The emphasis is always on sustainable collaboration, not short-term wins.
Tough Calls and the Growth They Bring
One of the most defining chapters in Rami’s leadership journey was guiding GCSS through its transformation into a standalone private company. Restructuring meant difficult choices—none more painful than letting go of team members he had worked with for years.
“It was one of the hardest things I’ve done,” he reflects. “But it reminded me that leadership often means doing what’s necessary, not what’s easy.” That period tested not just his business acumen but his emotional resilience. In the process, he let go of leadership habits that once served him in operations but were limiting in a CEO role. He emerged more self-aware, and more capable of making strategic, high impact decisions.
It was also a reflection of a value dearest to him: dignity in change. Even as he was ending the relationship, Rami made every decision with clarity, respect, and affirmation.
Turning Vision into Reality
To Rami, strategy is as effective as it can possibly be if implemented. In GCSS, long-term aspirations are not relegated to silos—that is, they are infused into day-to-day work.
He achieves this through constant clarity and communication. Weekly conversations with department heads keep everyone aligned. Each business decision—whether operational, marketing-related, or client-facing—is filtered through the company’s core values and long-term vision.
He ensures everyone at GCSS understands not just what needs to be done, but why it matters. “Our strategy only works because we’re aligned from the ground up.” This alignment is what makes GCSS nimble, responsive, and future-ready.
The Role of Empathy and Emotional Intelligence
Empathy is a recurring theme in Rami’s leadership, but it’s never vague or performative. He pairs it with a high degree of emotional intelligence—knowing not just how people feel, but when to intervene, when to hold back, and how to influence outcomes without coercion.
In such a company as GCSS, where operations, finance, QHSE, and HR are so interdependent, such leadership is not feasible. Conflict is not dysfunction to Rami but information: “It tells you something isn’t aligned. Listen deeply, respond wisely, and you’ll grow stronger from it.”
He thinks fantastic leadership is all about being present—to people’s potential, to ideas, to struggle, and to energy. According to Rami, having integrity and equity and showing up makes a high performing, engaged workforce.
Being Grounded in a Demanding Role
Despite the pressures of running a mass-market firm, Rami keeps his feet on the ground by placing the greatest importance on duty rather than on notoriety. “Leadership has nothing to do with having the loudest voice in the room,” he comments. “It’s being the most calm when it counts.”
He attributes his father with teaching him this philosophy—leading without ego and showing up when it is uncomfortable. That mantra permeates all of his leadership choices.
His true motivator is family—his close family and extended family of employees and stakeholders who depend on GCSS. That shared purpose lends weight to all business choices.
Words of Wisdom for Future Leaders
To young leaders, Rami advises: “Ask yourself why you want to lead. If it’s for prestige, reconsider it. If it’s to help others and create something worthwhile—go all out.”
He emphasizes that competence is only the beginning. “What makes you special is how you behave when the heat is on, how you conduct yourself when nobody’s looking, and how teachable you are.”
Rami encourages emerging leaders to stay inquiring, continue questioning those around them, and lead humbly. “You don’t know all the answers,” he continues, “But you do need to have the courage to ask the right questions.”
Looking Ahead: Creating a Legacy That Endures
People, principles, and purpose and shareholder value and growth rates are what Rami sees in the future as the benchmarks of legacy.
“I would hope that GCSS would remember me as a company where people thrived—not in business, but in life. Where integrity and commitment weren’t slogans but fundamental values,” Rami shares.
As a person, he would want to be remembered as someone who brought value—someone who was a values-driven leader, who earned people’s trust, and who built a ripple effect of good.
Leadership, in Rami’s universe, isn’t something to take for granted. It’s one to uphold—and he does so with dignity, foresight, and compassion.
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