Leading brand Dean Gera chooses MISCO for its staff development

“This was the first time that our company had engaged in something unrelated to hair and we are proud that, together with MISCO, we have set out on a path towards a continuous employee development programme for all our people at Dean Gera. We have undertaken this development course to ensure that our team is equipped with personal skills and competencies to help us take the brand to the next level.”

This was stated by Dean Gera himself at the team’s graduation event during which 13 of the company’s managers were presented with their certificates after achieving their MISCO Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management. The presentation was held at the Corinthia Palace Hotel and Spa in Attard, and Dean Gera was one of the certificate recipients as he also followed the 42-hour programme and obtained the qualification.

In his speech at the event, Dean Gera added: “Following our completion of this course, I am motivated to invest further in similar training courses for staff at all levels and to build a stronger relationship with MISCO.”

MISCO Director of Training and Development Ritienne Xerri explained how the Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management is one of MISCO’s home-grown qualifications, launched for the first time in April of last year. “The Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management is spread over two months and appeals to aspiring and practising supervisors, team leaders and managers,” she said. “Following this programme, Dean Gera’s managers are now in a position to assess their own knowledge, skills and personal behaviour and their effect on their own managerial ability, they can identify areas for personal development and can plan and set priorities for future development. They can also build stronger relationships with people and review the effectiveness of their own performance in meeting their organisation’s values and goals.”

Ms Xerri added that “by having our very own home-grown qualifications, we can offer courses that focus on close collaboration between trainer and participants, based on individual customised practical attention and leading to recognised qualifications. There is a very strong demand for accredited courses that are more localised and that take local issues into consideration, and with our own Level 5 accreditation, we were in a position to explore the very unique requirements of an organisation such as Dean Gera and offer it a customised leadership programme that meets its unique requirements through an assisted and personalised approach.”

One of Dean Gera’s managers, Terri-Ann Taliana, delivered a short but moving speech thanking the company which, through MISCO, chose to give its employees “the opportunity to learn, grow and improve ourselves.

“I was the fifth employee to join Dean Gera seven years ago and today I consider myself very lucky to be part of this amazing team because every day I go back home full of positive energy, wanting to work harder and be better at what I do. I remember the start was a difficult one for us but Dean used to be so positive and always encouraged us to believe in his dream. Today, as I look around me and realise I’m part of a beautiful and growing family of 45 people, I can proudly say how right he was. We all look at Dean as a man with all the talent and skills a true leader requires and we are grateful to him for giving us the opportunity not just to do beautiful hair, but also to grow personally and within the company,” she said.

The Dean Gera brand was launched in 2007 with one salon at the Radisson Blu Hotel. Over the next three years, Dean focused on building a strong reputation and client base. Successful results led to the opening of two new salons at the Corinthia St George’s Bay and the Corinthia Palace Hotel and Spa in Attard, resulting in the incorporation of the Dean Gera company in 2010. Currently operating through six salons, Dean Gera is considered an industry leader and innovator.