Maria Sigrid Lleva

Maria Sigrid Lleva is a Filipino-American hospitality, aviation, and tourism professional based in Boston, Massachusetts. She was raised in the Philippines, where she developed an early appreciation for aviation and service excellence, inspired by her mother’s belief that becoming a flight attendant represented a world-expanding and aspirational career. After university, she pursued Hospitality Management, driven by her passion for cooking and her interest in the hotel industry as a refined and dynamic environment. She graduated with distinction and emerged as an active student leader, contributing to symposiums, career programs, and editorial initiatives through her college’s Hotel and Restaurant Management Society, establishing an early foundation in leadership, service, and community engagement.

She began her professional career in luxury hospitality with InterContinental, progressing from Front Office Agent to Night Auditor, where she strengthened her understanding of rooms division operations and financial processes. She later joined Mandarin Oriental Manila, the first property of the brand outside Hong Kong, serving as a Club Executive Concierge in a supervisory capacity, managing VIP guests and overseeing elevated club lounge operations. During this period, she also completed flight attendant exposure training with Philippine Airlines, further solidifying her transition toward aviation. She later moved to Dubai during a period of rapid global expansion and joined Burj Al Arab, The World’s Most Luxurious Hotel, as a Royal Villas Supervisor at age 23, where she served ultra-high-net-worth guests, including royalty and global celebrities, while gaining exposure to private aviation clientele and ultra-luxury service standards.

Her career evolved into aviation when she joined Emirates Airlines after multiple attempts in a highly competitive selection process. Beginning during the global Credit Crunch period, she progressed across cabin classes from economy to first-class service on aircraft including the Boeing 777, Airbus A340 series, and Airbus A380. She also trained junior cabin crew in service delivery, cabin operations, and premium hospitality standards while operating across diverse international routes. After years of experience across the Philippines, Dubai, and the United States, she eventually established her long-term career in the U.S., continuing her leadership journey in luxury hospitality, including at The Newbury Boston, where she contributed to strengthening service culture and enhancing Forbes audit performance. She currently serves as Head of Customer Services at Jet Aviation, where she leads customer experience strategy in private aviation, with a focus on operational excellence, employee engagement, and service transformation grounded in the belief that empowered teams create exceptional client experiences.