Who got a new gig this week? Check out this week’s travel industry movers & shakers below or click here to check out last week’s new appointments.
1. TFE hires a new Chief Operating Officer & a Director of Operations
TFE Hotels has bolstered its leadership team with two stellar new appointments – Chris Sedgwick joins as Chief Operating Officer and Tish Nyar has been appointed as the new Director of Operations for Australia and New Zealand.
Having spent the last 10 years at Accor and previous eight years at Rydges Hotels & Resorts, Chris brings extensive hotel operations and leadership experience to the role. His most recent position, Senior Vice President of Operations at Accor Hotels for New Zealand, Fiji and French Polynesia saw him operating as the Chief Operating Officer for the region, being accountable for hotel operations, development, franchising, sales, marketing, human resources and finance across 41 hotels and a team of 2,700 staff.
He has also managed a number of hotels across Australia, New Zealand and in Asia, and is an active member of the Australian and New Zealand tourism industry, sitting on a number on Committees and Boards.
Tish brings more than 25 years of hospitality experience to the role of Director of Operations. Most recently, he has been focused on strategic project delivery for Rydges Hotels & Resorts across Sydney, Darwin and Brisbane. Tish brings a wealth of experience across hotel operations, regional management, property openings and refurbishments, hospitality technology innovation, digital customer engagement strategies, business plans and owner relationship management.
He has been member of NSW Tourism Accommodation Australia Board, National Accommodation Division Board and Vice Chairman of the Canberra Convention Centre Board.
2. Marriott announces new Executive Leadership team for APAC
Marriott International is pleased to announce its new Executive Leadership team for the Pacific region, who will oversee a portfolio of over 40 operating and pipeline hotels in Australia, New Zealand and The Pacific. The introduction of new roles and reporting structures across Operations, Sales and Distribution, Development, Marketing, Finance, Revenue Strategy and Human Resources reflect Marriott International’s commitment to more than double its presence by 2020, with a target of 50 hotels for the region.
Based at Marriott International’s Sydney head office at Sheraton on the Park, Sydney, the team is led by Sean Hunt, Area Vice President Australia, New Zealand and Pacific. Reporting to Rajeev Menon, Chief Operating Officer, Marriott International, APEC (Asia Pacific excluding Greater China), Hunt will oversee and drive the operations and financial performance of the property portfolio.
“It is a privilege to lead such a passionate and driven team into the future of Marriott International, which has the expertise, know-how and motivation to ensure that each of our unique brands continue to prosper in the Pacific market,” said Sean Hunt. “We have the combined experience and knowledge of dedicated Marriott International and Starwood associates, which is a valuable, unrivalled benefit for our business. It is an exciting time to be at the forefront of the hotel industry, and I am confident that our team will continue innovating and expanding our presence in market.”
Marriott International’s growth has also seen the restructure of the Sales and Marketing team in the region. Ashley Hansen, previously Regional Director for Sales & Marketing and Sales Organisation in the Pacific, has been appointed to Area Director of Sales & Distribution and will oversee Marriott International’s sales operation in the region. Florencia Aimo has been promoted from Director of Digital Marketing for Marriott Australia to Area Director of Marketing. Aimo has been tasked with the responsibility of delivering marketing initiatives to increase brand awareness and drive brand preference.
In order to achieve its impressive development target of 50 hotels for the region, Marriott International has appointed Richard Crawford to the role of Senior Director, Development, Australia, New Zealand and Pacific. Previously the Development Manager – Acquisitions for Mantra Group, Richard has a strong background in commerce and tourism and will be integral to leading and expanding the company’s development plans in the Australia Pacific region, particularly in key markets where Marriott International is currently not represented. Richard will be supported in Australia by Maria Verner, formerly with Starwood’s Pacific Development and Acquisitions team and recently promoted to the role of Manager, Development for Marriott International.
3. Destination NSW appoints Business Development Manager for Shanghai
Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer Sandra Chipchase announced the appointment of Ms Celine Dong, as the new Business Development Manager for Shanghai.
“Ms Dong will be responsible for building our relationships with key travel trade partners, wholesalers, retailers, airlines and online agents to increase the awareness and sales of NSW tourism destinations and products in Eastern China,” Ms Chipchase said.
“In the year ended March 2017, NSW welcomed more than 700,000 visitors from China who spent close to $3 billion.
“We are committed to growing our presence in China, which is our number one inbound visitor market and these significant figures are a reflection of the work that Destination NSW is doing to ensure we continue to attract more visitors from this lucrative market.”
Ms Dong said Destination NSW’s reputation for delivering exceptional results was one of the motivating factors for her decision to apply for the Shanghai based role.
“I am looking forward to promoting NSW as the preferred choice for Chinese travellers to Australia and highlighting NSW’s iconic attractions, unique accommodation and world-class food and wine offerings.”
Prior to joining Destination NSW, Ms Dong was employed by the Singapore Tourism Board where she held the position of Manager, Eastern China. Celine Dong commenced with Destination NSW on 17 July 2017.
4. Frasers Hospitality appoints 2 new Directors of Sales & Marketing
Frasers Hospitality is pleased to announce the appointment of Lulu Fox and Luke Deayton to Director of Sales and Marketing at Fraser Suites Perth and Capri by Fraser in Brisbane, respectively.
Lulu Fox brings extensive experience in the tourism industry and vast knowledge of Perth’s hospitality market, having previously held the position of Director of Sales at the Hyatt Regency in Perth.
Luke Deayton joins the Capri by Fraser team with 18 years of sales experience under his belt and a long history in the tourism sector working for hotel groups such as Mantra and Oaks.
Lulu, attracted to Fraser Suites Perth by its unique brand positioning, comments, “I jumped at the opportunity to work with the Frasers Group. With the tourism industry and volume of room nights in Perth expanding at a rapid rate, it is an ideal time to work with such an established and sophisticated brand, especially as Perth and Western Australia grow their global footprint.”
Similarly, in Brisbane the hotel sector is experiencing massive growth, so part of the attraction for Luke is solidifying Capri by Fraser’s market positioning.
5. Sam Langton joins Asia Pacific Travel Marketing Services
Asia Pacific Travel Marketing Services is proud to announce Samantha Langton as our newest team member.
Managing Director Kylee Kay stated: “Sam is a very well known and loved personality within the travel trade. Her experience with understanding the vast network of travel agents, wholesalers, and key industry players made it a very easy decision to bring her into the fold”.
Sam comes to APTMS from Uniworld, where she was Sales Manager for the past year, and has previously spent many years in various roles with Flight Centre. Her portfolio will include Aqua-Aston Hotels and Resorts, Discover Hawaii Tours, Alamo Rent-A-Car and Warner Bros Studio Tours Hollywood as well as assisting with our global DMC partners for Asia and Europe.
Kay continued: “This is a great talent acquisition for APTMS. I’m really looking forward to working closely with Sam to expand our reach throughout Queensland and beyond”.
Sam commented: “It is with great pleasure that I am joining APTMS as Business Development Manager, QLD/WA to utilise my extensive industry experience to help foster the growth of these exciting brands”.
6. American Airlines bolsters senior APAC sales team
American Airlines announced Shane Hodges as Vice President – Asia Pacific Sales. In his new Tokyo-based position, Australian-native Hodges will be responsible for representing American Airlines to both corporate customers and agency partners as well as supporting all general commercial activity in the region.
With more than 22 years of experience within the travel industry, Hodges brings a truly global perspective to American Airlines having lived and worked in numerous locations in Asia Pacific, Europe & the United States. His appointment will ensure robust leadership in the region including the development of strong strategic relationships with senior stakeholders, a deep knowledge of the latest technology platforms and the ability to successfully execute broad change management and global team development.
Hodges has joined from Starwood Hotels and Resorts, where he occupied the role of Vice President, Global Group and Emerging Sales Platforms. Prior to this role, he held several other senior leadership roles at the company, leading teams that developed global strategies in the corporate, leisure, online and distribution connectivity segments. Prior to these global leadership positions, Hodges spent 17 years of his career leading sales and marketing teams at various Starwood properties throughout the world.
Hodges’ predecessor, Erwan Perhirin has recently been promoted to Managing Director – Customer Experience Strategy Planning & Development, following five years’ of leadership in the region. He will be relocating back to Dallas, having spent recent years building the APAC sales team into the strongest to date.
7. Baillie Lodges appoints GM, Craig Bradbery
Baillie Lodges has announced tourism and hospitality professional Craig Bradbery will join the company in the newly created role of General Manager in August.
The appointment will see Craig steer the Baillie Lodges portfolio of luxury properties to the next stage of development, whilst also assuming the day-to-day management of the business.
Baillie Lodges owners James and Hayley Baillie will turn their attention to future opportunities for the business including evaluating the potential of new lodge developments in Australia.
The new structure will also allow the life-and-business partners to maintain their dedication to high-level product operations, innovations and design, and continue their commitment to delivering the outstanding guest experience which has defined the Baillie Lodges offering.
With a career in hotels and hospitality spanning more than 23 years, Craig has operated as a General Manager and Project Manager for a range of Australian hotels including at the family-owned Erdi Group, Accor Hotels and at P&O Australian Resorts, where he first met and worked with James Baillie.
As part of his role as General Manager of Operations at P&O Australian Resorts, Craig oversaw the concept, planning and development of some of Australia’s best-known luxury destinations, including the former Wrotham Park Lodge, Wilson Island and Lizard Island properties in North Queensland.
Baillie Lodges Managing Director James Baillie said he was delighted to welcome Craig to the close-knit team.
Craig will commence his role as Baillie Lodges General Manager on August 22, 2017 and spend time at each of the luxury lodges for a full experience of the product before settling into the company’s Sydney-based headquarters.
The Baillie Lodges portfolio of luxury properties currently includes Capella Lodge on Lord Howe Island, Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island and Longitude 131° at Uluru-Kata Tjuta.
