The latest industry appointments

DASHA KUKSENKO has been appointed as Sabre’s new vice president of airline solutions for Asia Pacific. Ms Kuksenko has extensive experience in the airline and technology sectors. She previously served as Sabre’s head of sales for airline solutions in Asia, and has also worked with Oracle and Emirates.

HSIEH FU HUA has been named as the new chairman of Tiger Airways Holdings, following the retirement of JY Pillay. Hseih has been an independent director on the company’s board since November 2011, and also currently serves as chairman of the United Overseas Bank (UOB).

ILKIN ILYASZADE has become Pan Pacific Hotels Group’s vice president of corporate hotel management & pre-opening. An Azerbaijani national, Ilyaszade has been working in Asia for the past 13 years, including spells in the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore.

PIERRE ANDRE PELLETIER has become Onyx Hospitality Group’s new vice president and area general manager for South Thailand. He will be based at the Amari Phuket while also overseeing the group’s properties in Koh Samui, Krabi and Hua Hin. Pelletier joined Amari in 1993.

MARTINE GEROW has been appointed executive vice president & chief financial officer of Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT). Taking up her position in September, Ms Gerow will be based in Paris. She has more than 25 years’ financial experience with brands including Groupe Danone and Pepsi.

DAVID CUMMING has been named as Onyx Hospitality Group’s new vice president and area general manager for Bangkok. The move will see Cumming return to the Amari Watergate Bangkok, where he began his Onyx career. Most recently he was Onyx’s vice president of operational development.

SUNNY HENG has been named as the managing director of the new Sheraton Zhuhai and St Regis Zhuhai hotels, which are scheduled to open in November 2014 and 2016 respectively. A veteran hotelier, Heng was previously general manager of the St Regis Sanya Yalong Bay Resort.

STEVE CHONG has been appointed general manager of Centara’s Sandy Beach Non Nuoc Resort in Danang Vietnam. A Singaporean national, Chong has worked in the industry for more than 45 years, including spells with Hilton, Shangri-La Singapore and the Ambassador Hotel Bangkok.

DAVID ANDREWS has been appointed as Destination Asia’s new group marketing manager. Andrews has 10 years of experience in travel writing and has worked with a number of Asia based DMCs. Previously a correspondent for TTG Asia, he will now be based in Bangkok at Destination Asia’s head office.

CHRISTINA SPYKERMAN has been appointed as Worldhotels’ new regional vice president of sales & marketing for Asia Pacific. The move marks a promotion for Ms Spykerman, who joined the company in 2005 and most recently served as senior director of sales & marketing for Asia.

VIRGINIA WU has been named as Worldhotels’ new regional vice president of hotel development for Asia Pacific. A hospitality industry veteran with 25 years’ experience, Ms Wu will now be tasked with attracting new affiliate and full licence hotels in the region.

MELISSA GAN has become Worldhotels’ new regional vice president for full licence hotels in Asia Pacific. A Cornell graduate, Ms Gan spent 12 years with Hilton in Australia before moving to Worldhotels, where she has now served for eight years in Asia Pacific.

CHARLES CHENG has been announced as Pan Pacific Hotels Group’s new director of global sales, heading up its new office in Beijing. Cheng, who has 20 years’ experience, will now be responsible for managing the group’s key clients in northern China and expanding the market.

ANDREAS BARTELS has been appointed as the Lufthansa Group’s new head of media relations. The move follows a restructuring of the German carrier’s operations, combining the group communications roles with those of national carrier Lufthansa German Airlines.