Movements Abroad
Thien Kwee Eng has been appointed as Chief Executive of Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) and as a member of SDC and Singapore Tourism Board. Prior to this, she was Executive Vice President of the Economic Development Board (EDB) where she was responsible for global customer experience, marketing and public affairs and investment facilitation activities. in her role, she started a new operating model that expanded EDB's reach.
To lead IHG's business in Saudi Arabia, Bastien Blanc has been appointed as Managing Director, KSA and Bahrain. In his new role, Blanc will be responsible for driving both growth and performance for IHG in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. With extensive experience of working in KSA, Blanc has been deeply ingrained into the market. He has also been leading IHG's Saudization efforts which he will continue to drive further in his new role.
Phatsalawadee Pimpila's appointment as Director of Sales and Marketing at the new 159room and 41-suite luxury resort on Koh Samui's north-eastern coastline in the Gulf of Thailand, comes after she previously worked as Director of Sales for Kanda Residences, another five-star hotel situated on Koh Samui island. Pimpila has two decades of experience in sales and marketing and a passion for building strong business relationships.
Eric Masalawala joins the Radisson Blu Hotel, Ajman as Director of Rooms with more than 13 years of hospitality experience. He started his career as Service Manager in 2007 at Radisson Hotel Dubai Deira Creek. In 2016, he was appointed as Front Office Manager and later Rooms Division Manager at the Hilton Abu Dhabi which was rebranded as Radisson Blu Hotel Abu Dhabi Corniche in 2019. His new appointment will be his third stint within the Radisson Hotel Group portfolio.
Oetker Collection has appointed Dr. Timo Gruenert as Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Gruenert began his career with the Oetker Group as Assistant to the Managing Partner in 2005 after receiving his PhD from University of Giessen. In 2009, he co-led the founding of Oetker Collection and has served as CoManaging Director and Chief Financial Officer ever since. Over the past 11 years, Dr. Gruenert has overseen the steady growth of Oetker Collection's hotel portfolio from four Masterpiece Hotels in 2009, to nine in 2020.
R Hotels has appointed Ravi Santiago as Cluster General Manager of Ramada Hotel & Suites by Wyndham Ajman, Ramada by Wyndham Beach Hotel Ajman, and Wyndham Garden Ajman Corniche. He brings over 25 years of expertise spanning various industries with 15 years in the hospitality sector. Santiago has been with the R Hotels group since 2009. Before taking the helm as Cluster General Manager, he was the Group Financial Controller for the 7 properties of R Hotels in the UAE.
Jannah Hotels and Resorts has appointed Anna Luisa Asistio as Assistant Director of Marketing & Communications. Her new position in the Jannah Brand sets as a breakthrough for a much developed and competitive hotel image of luxury halal segment in the UAE. Asistio is all set to take charge of the overall management of the Marketing Department, developing and executing strong strategic plans and budgets as well as spearheading the Digital Marketing team.
A seasoned professional with almost two decades of experience in luxury hospitality in Europe and the Middle East has been named Alma Resort's Executive Chef. German national Ingo Stöneberg has joined the 196-pavilion and 384-suite resort overlooking Long Beach, on Vietnam's Cam Ranh peninsula, to oversee its rich culinary landscape comprising 14 dining venues. Five restaurants including Italian, modern Asian and traditional Vietnamese dining establishments, three bars and a food court are among venues under Stöneberg's stewardship.